I couldn't agree more with what you said about commenting. I so often see comments of "nice post" or something along those lines that is strictly spam. I know this isn't necessarily the type of commentor you're speaking about, but I think the two often get mentioned in the same sentence.

I think it's quite simple. In order to be successful on Steemit, you must bring value. Whether that's in your posts, or in your comments, you must bring value to the platform. That is truly the only way to succeed here.