sure, i follow other people. i have 50 people on my gina, and when their post pops up, i read. if it is good content, i vote on it. if it isnt, well maybe i give them a minimum vote because i like them.
some people i no longer vote because they no longer write good content. but i dont know that if i dont bother to review their posts every so often.
there are very few people i vote 100 percent every time, and usually its because they only post one good post a week, or a month.
that is maybe 30 percent of who i vote. the rest i go to curation sites and look for new or undervalued content. some of it i curate even tho its simple or needs improvement because that person TRIED. they did their best.
not all of us have talent. I will be the first to tell you that i am a hack photographer, that sometimes i do punk posts. but i do them to the best of my ability, so ya my photos are fuzzy or my art is a total mess. it's the experience that counts.
the photographer CAN and SHOULD add their personality to the post. posting isnt a contest measuring technique or skill. if that were the case many noobs would never get voted. if the photographer goes so far as to say location, then i have a reference. if they say, this was the tree where i met my wife of 50 years, then i have a story. without that, I have a photo with a lot of specifications that mean nothing to me.
I get what you are saying, and ya I should power up more. Im just a bit burned from steem price dropping so much that my powered steem is worth a quarter of what i put in. so for me, what i curate is more for CC. the steem is just a bonus.
and i agree, powering up counts as sharing. but if that same person powers up but doesnt vote, or votes only friends and never anyone new or struggling, i question that.
still id rather give 15 steem to a new user, if it makes the difference in their ability to post.
I like to spread my votes around. 72 accounts this past week have seen my vote. There are some who get my support consistently because I've always been a fan of their work. I'm not going to stop being a fan and supporting someone just because they've managed to become popular and now earn plenty. I'll add to the pile and celebrate success. Building up consistent support is just as important as creating content that could potentially attract new readers/viewers. The consistent support needs to be genuine though. If someone is earning top dollar every post, but nobody comments which is a good sign nobody is reading, then it does seem strange to reward that member consistently. If you don't get consistent views on Youtube, you don't get consistent ad revenue. There are some I support consistently, yet they are consistently struggling. Again, I'm just a fan of their work, and some of those posts are just simple one image very few word posts. If they decide to ever step up their game, then they'll notice more consistent support trickling in.
Those autovotes coming in from genuine curators who choose to support people are legit. I get some and that means I have to perform well, or I'll lose it. I know this and there's pressure to always be at my best. That doesn't mean I have to change to suit their needs. My style is what earned their trust to begin with so I'm free to keep doing my thing, my way. Many still check in and leave comments. I don't mind autovotes like that. If they want higher curation rewards, good for them, since earning rewards here is what nearly everyone wants to do.
For me, giving someone new 15 Steem is as simple as voting ten times or so, roughly. Plus I can keep going, if they keep going. I thought about delegating SP early on, when RC was introduced. That would have been too much of a headache though. So many people start, then quit. If they go silent for a few days, do I pull the delegation, or do I wait? For me, I'd much rather see them slowly climb and gain momentum and I only say that because that's what I had to do, and I know it works. When I see folks struggling, I can relate.
i spose this is why i am so concerned. i vote 75-100 posts daily. same as you, some people i vote consistently, some i vote for the curation but others simply because i really like their work, even if they only make $1.20 in rewards. this is important to me. rewarding the little people. because without them telling their friends positive things about steem, we are doomed.
i do however disagree with your belief that if people dont comment they arent reading. for me, i just dont have time nor inclination to make 100 comments a day. i reply where i feel compelled. and im sure others are the same, but i also think that quite a few people just vote and never read. and they do that because they know my work.
i know auto-curators are legit. i also know that they have the capability of changing their vote. if someone i autovote goes off the rails, i change my payout to them until i see improvement. but i also give them slack for not always needing to be top of the game. or for writing something that i may not appreciate.
i agree that delegation for newbs is the way to go now. i'll consider this and maybe power up my 42 steem that has taken me almost a month to earn..
I agree, supporting people is a good idea. It encourages noobs, yes and supporting those who've established themselves gives those noobs something to work up to. If noobs saw that you lose support once you reach a certain level, for instance, many wouldn't even start. A healthy balance is crucial to the success of this platform.
I may have used the wrong wording when it comes to post lacking comments. If that member is established here, earns top dollar every post auto-magically, but never gets a comment, that's a good sign even those who are not voting automatically aren't interested. I mean, high rewards, never gets comments. Some of the posts I could point out have had the same voters for three years and most days, there's no one around actually showing proof they were there. That bothered me for awhile because I was consistently making the top ten most commented on posts, and my rewards were one tenth if not lower than some of these posts nobody seems to be interested in. I think things will change now though, since more curators are actually curating.
I know it's hard to leave comments everywhere and I'll often vote without saying a word after reading something. Part of that has to do with the fact I'm a content producer, like many others here, and it's difficult to produce content, and find time to write comments and get into discussions, like this one!
Delegation to noobs is fine, if you want to spend time monitoring their progress. I don't think it's a good idea, personally, because if they go silent for a few days, I won't be sure if they've quit, and if they come back after I've removed the delegation to give to someone else, a headache I don't need develops which is something I don't need. If someone could automate that process, I'd be all over it, helping out.
ya, for delegation i have only done it for a few, i tend to get the pal mods to help out since they are more financialy able. you should suggest that to them too, as some mods can easily make accounts and delegate to them.
as to balance, its getting there, but theres a few people on whatsups top thirty list that earn whale votes yet cash out and barely curate. thats not really helping to support the community
I know there's a few takers left on that list. Hopefully things improve.