Serious topic.
I've seen some critique lately on how people get downvoted for their posts, and how they are being "ripped off" or how they are "losing their income".
If you think like that, You are wrong!
Whatever you see here...
...does not mean your income for that post is 3.07 Hive. This is only the potential reward. The only reward you can call "income" is the one that is actually paid on the day 7, after the posting. The potential reward might jump, or it might dive, depending on how the post is received by those who read it.
This is what actual income looks like:
It tells you exactly how much was paid, and how much the author's income for that post was.
If your post gets downvoted, it does not mean you lost your income. You only lost the potential income.
Now, you might ask "what about when the potential was over $200, and it was lost?"
Easy. You were not entitled to that $200 in the first place.
Ask yourself: "Out of my own pocket, how much would I personally pay someone else for this same article I am publishing?"
Did this make sense to you?
The thing is, when You came to HIVE, nobody signed a contract with You over how much you would be earning, or what your income would be.
After all, the whole "potential earning" aspect of Hive comes only secondary to the other strengths of the blockchain; immutability, resiliency, and uncensorability.
And no, downvotes are not censorship. What you write on the blockchain, will remain there forever. That's a thing to consider.
If you read this far, I will thank you for your attention.
I'll be seeing you all later.
The Follow-up post The vote is not free explains why the upvote is not free, and why the downvote is absolutely necessary.