I'm with you on the community part man... I'm going to be honest here and say that with a few exceptions it's probably not in most people's interest to try and game the system for a payday, they do happen but not as often as that front page might make some newbies think.
Instead, I think it's wise for those who wish to gain from their efforts should stick around, be a vital part of the community, interact, create content that other's would like to see, and simply wait. I think after some time has passed the reward for your effort will come around all on it's own. I'm here simply because I think steemit is an interesting idea and I want to see where it goes in the future; I'm basically just along for the ride.