Many aren't interested in participating at that level or taking the time to objectively research the witnesses. It's a pretty sad state of affairs all around and its ourselves with the responsibility to educate the user base. The learning curve to blog and process funds is steep enough as is. Worse than abstaining is blind voting since we've got witnesses now who think they're "mining" on the "steemit blockchain".
I'm pretty low ranking as well. Hard to get up there without supporting some of the flashier projects and being a yes-man. The way I see it is our responsibility is to the blockchain first and foremost. Keep at it.
Yes exactly. I’m with you on all these points.
I also don’t feel good about reducing myself to a sleazy salesman doing sales and marketing, promotion, advertising and buying votes as some others do or tricking others convincing them to vote for me.
On another hand that’s what this place is turning out to be otherwise there seems to be next to zero chance to be an active witness.
Those who are already there statistically very unlikely to vote for you because they all mostly vote for each other and it’s against their financial interests to vote for any “outsider”.
Other regular members just don’t bother until you push them. That’s exactly what I feel so bad about - pushing. It’s not how I do things in life and I hate being forced to do it here.
Then what’s the alternative?
I’ll do some research to see when is the average for others to just shut down their servers.
I also find it quite unusual for blockchain systems when only 20 top “miners” (so to speak in the general block chain terms) participate in keeping the blockchain up and running and distributed.