Welcome back! The biggest change in that time is a shift away from buying votes. Curators get 50% of the rewards now, so they do not need to be paid to vote, although some still operate that model. We are seeing more good content making it to trending, but it will never be perfect. The good content is there to be found and a lot of good people have stuck with it through some tough times. Steem is on the rise right now, so you may have picked a good time.