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.