But how can I get more votes!!
Great post, having just stumbled across it, it sure would have been great to see the post when it was published, it was around this time I was getting back into Hive. One of the slight disadvantages of Hive, sometimes it's hard to find what you need. However the flip side, it's here forever so ample time to find everything you need as you get more involved with Hive.
That leads to your views of reputation, by embedding oneself in the community, one opens many more doors, giving more exposure even with a lower reputation score. As the old saying goes "it's not what you know it's who you know".
There are some great communities on Hive, all looking out for each other and helping each other navigate the honeycomb that is Hive. Many like to check users in-depth, which is the beauty of the blockchain, with your history visible (check on peaked, pretty cool, all your old comments and posts!) for all to see. By engaging and showing genuine interest in other's content seems to improve one's reputation 10 fold over just creating content.
Building Hive together with the best "reputation" possible provides unlimited opportunities for the chain and communities as a whole! There are so many exciting projects buzzing on Hive, so plenty of opportunities for everyone to get involved and "grow their reputation".
What can I say? You said it all!
I think I just said what you said but it's been said either way! Great post!