There are two different thresholds that people sometimes confuse when talking about "dust votes".
Dust vote threshold - 0.0001 STU vote ?
Votes that are truly tiny and fall below the dust vote threshold have no value. They make no impact on a post payout. However they do consume voting power/mana.
The good news is that the dust vote threshold is tiny and as long as you have 2 Steem Power or more (and you vote at 100%) then this will not affect your vote.
Dust payout threshold - 0.02STU payout
The dust payout threshold is the minimum level of post payout. Posts with less than 0.02STU do not get a payout.
The good news here is that a collection of votes worth less than 0.02STU can still build up to a post payout in total. For example eight 0.003STU votes will result in a post payout.
The SP level to result in a 0.02STU by yourself is currently around 400 Steem Power, which is quite a lot for new Steem users, so this is a threshold to take note of.
What can you do?
- If you are voting on posts that end up have 0.02STU payout or more then your vote contributes to the payout (as long as your vote is based on 2SP at 100% or more). Job done!
- It's still nice to vote on people's comments even if it doesn't result in a payout, so don't let the payout threshold restrict you, just be aware that it's there.
- You can use services like dustsweeper if you want to have a vote above the threshold, but be aware that these cost money.
- Aim to power up to minnow status at 500SP as soon as possible. Easier said than done, but not impossible!
- You can upvote this post! All votes welcome :)