I would say your best contribution, at this point, if new, is to comment comment comment.
That is how you build a following and you will also find that people, especially successful authors, upvote comments. Just last week a whale, who really hadnt upvoted my posts, hit up a comment of mine...it was $44.....
Commenting is how people get to know you....plus the site really needs more people commenting.
Totally agree, love dropping by to see peoples posts and interacting. Just wasn't sure what they situation was with resteeming and voting.
Thanks for the advice buddy!
No problem.
I forgot to answer part of your question.
I personally am not into voting bots. For some they work well....others not so well. That isnt to say they cant work..just be careful.
I think the communities will make getting recognized for newer people a lot easier. That said, I still think that commenting a ton gets people noticed and gets one a fair bit of SP coming in.