I so agree. My previous attempts at blogging were successful enough to net me over 20,000 subscribers in about three years, which was awesome, but actual engagement . . . not so much.
If I asked my readers a question, I might get one or two real responses, but the rest was from spambots . . . or crickets.
I'm already making real relationships here on Steemit that wouldn't have occurred elsewhere. And we get paid. Bonus!
Like a lot of writers, I write because I have to, because I can't imagine NOT writing, and it is a large part of how I engage with the world, and focus my own thinking. I can't even fathom how many important decisions I've made that resulted directly from my writing, how many life-changing insights I've had, and how many new ideas I've been able to put into practice - I write as much to learn as to pass along what I have learned, which is pretty much how I have always approached it.
It is such a blessing to finally be connecting with like-minded people, who are in this to communicate and build community, rather than just posting one sales pitch after the next.
We are, after all, all in this together.