Thanks, and good point @cngrobler I wonder if that's a byproduct of him being new? When I complete a new post, I always engage with anyone leaving a "real" comment. If it's good and I have enough VP, I upvote it as well.
I had a friend that started out with me on Steemit and noticed that once he passed me in SP, he stopped interacting with me and now only chases Whales. It's a toe-sucking charm offensive that is very obvious to me. Everything he does is about himself and what "you" can do for him. Having not heard from him in months, I was surprised when he dumped a link to me about his latest post in Steemit Chat. Just the link, nothing else.
If you have a high number next to your name he will be all over you remarking how valuable you are. How he really loves your content. It's so plastic-sounding, but it's worked with at least one Whale who upvotes everything he does. But if there's a (25) next to your name? forget about it. I wonder when they will start noticing the slavish praise? I swear he must have copy/paste phrases at the ready. Whales can tell the difference between an authentic compliment and a self-serving one.
It is sad to hear about your experience with your 'friend' @evernoticethat. Guess that's another good thing about Steemit - it reveals your colors 😯 Equally as good are whales' ability to spot insincerity then! And that's what I probably enjoy the most about Steemit so far - the opportunity to be sincere and discover more of yourself is so big because there is something of real value at stake.
But yeah likely that @jameslparis isn't used to the new way of how Steemit works, because c'mon bro, even after I sort of challenged you to comment on the people paying some sort of attention to you, you still neglect to do so. Perhaps it's just that you are busy? Although I see you have at least responded to some other comments. Steemit is definitely more than just about making money. It's opportunities and capabilities far surpass that I believe.