Now that that's over, if you actually want to know how it works on this platform, you should read these:
@corina - don't mislead new people. Without money, they have no chance of building a powerful account. Even with money it's slow going and risky because STEEM price is volatile and vote bots don't always produce a profit.
I don't mean to come down on you hard because I'm pretty sure you have good intentions. But if people read shit like this and it makes them feel better, they'll never do anything to improve the situation. They'll stay satisfied with the status quo and nothing will ever change.
If, on the other hand, new users and a majority of the current userbase are upset at the way things are going, then things are more likely to change. If we have to lose a few people along the way, fine. But it will be worth it in the long run if there is a system that properly rewards people for their contributions instead of what we have now.
Otherwise, this site will be made up of 99% "minnows" who are basically people with nothing better to do than write blog posts and interact with each other in the comments section of the Trending page. Sure, people will form friendships etc etc and that's great, but why settle for that?
This could be a place where people actually create good content and get paid for it. Isn't that the point? Yes community blah blah blah, but we're here to make money and participate in a system that at least has some semblance of fairness.
Why "encourage" people to grin and bear it instead of trying to change things? If everyone plays nice and pretends to be happy with their $0.10 posts and a COMPLETE lack of options for earning reliable income on this platform, what incentive do the developers and/or executive team have to implement anything that will change how things work?
I don't agree with some of the more "vocal" users on this platform regarding how to improve this place, but I respect that they are willing to get on stage and yell into their megaphone.
Sometimes people need to hear that things are not ok, that they're not fair and that unless something is added to the system then they are laboring under false pretenses and most likely wasting their time.
RE: A little Encouragement for Newbies and Minnows!