Steem is still losing minnows

We have been monitoring the numbers of accounts at various levels for some time and it is disappointing to see the number of minnows decreasing. If you go back a couple of months you can see that the difference is more or less matched by increases in dolphins, orcas and whales. Of course it is great to see so many people investing serious money in Steem. Not many can get that big just on post rewards. Still, we should be gaining new minnows all the time and so the number should not be decreasing this fast.

The @tenkminnows account votes up a couple of dozen small accounts automatically and the trail is followed by a number of people who can add around an extra Steem to the post rewards. It will only upvote a couple of posts each day per account in order to retain enough voting power. We will be checking on the progress of those accounts. Any that get well past minnow level (~500SP) may be dropped from the list. If anyone is powering down or found to be buying excessive votes they will also be dropped as this is about encouraging real engagement and dedication to Steem.

We would encourage small account to buy some Steem if they can. It is still relatively cheap and getting to minnow does not cost that much for someone on European or US wages. Doing so gives your vote more value and increases what you can make from curation. You ought to be able to make a good return on your investment, especially if the Steem price bounces back. Of course some cannot afford this, but may still have the time to make good posts. It should be about quality and driving real engagement. It may take more than just doing a daily Actifit post to get people commenting. Review things, create art, teach us something. Your content needs to have value. There are curation efforts out there that may find you if you are actively engaging with others.

Steem is not intended to be a 'magic money machine'. Let us make it work as it should and empower people around the world.

Steem on!