I like it because it works and it builds community and I believe it has the kind of gift economy and pay-it-forward spirit that Steemit originally set out to spread.
The new metric? It certainly made the aggregate scores a lot higher... but I'm not sure how it will motivate people. Hopefully it will encourage people to go visit more new folks they don't otherwise see.
=^..^=
One of the main reasons for it's introduction. Perhaps there is too much weight on the metric range right now, we shall see if that changes..