I also tend to write longer posts, and I've been wondering about this myself. It's a huge time commitment, and that's fine now, but when I begin grad school in the autumn I won't have the same amount of time available. It's a conundrum, for sure.
That said, I don't mind reading longer posts, and I like to leave an engaging comment to indicate that I read the post, but I'm on Steemit for a sense of community more than for anything. Not sure that answers your question, sorry.
well... I don't think I am looking for straight answers anyway... there are no straight answers to this question... thanks for passing by...