RE: Steem: Don't forget to look up
I'd submit that it's all about finding balance... as it often is with life, itself.
I don't remember where I originally read it, but there was a post from three months or so back in which someone was pointing out that the most "solid" long-term growth strategy wasn't necessarily about gimmicky and games, but about "growing with the people you joined up with."
I look at many of the people who regularly interact with my posts — and I with theirs — and they fall in a fairly narrow range around the same rep and starting point as I.
I look at my Human's primary account (started on the same day as @tarazkp) and most of the people he regularly interacts with joined Steemit at about the same time and now are much at the same "upper Minnow to Dolphin" level.
Absolutely we should help newcomers... that 5c or 10c upvote can be a huge morale booster during the early days; I know that well. But I believe you're basically right... "don't get in your own way." Don't spend more than 1/3 to 1/2 of your voting power on lifting newbies; by all means have contests! They seem to help "train" people to become more active, rather than "waiting around" for something to happen all by itself.
=^..^=
Edited to add: I am just a temporary Minnow via delegation...
the plot thickens....
I recommend a 50/50 approach self/community with some percentage spread across small accounts to incentivise and larger percentages focused on the stayers. of course, the 50/50 is a maximum and as an account grows larger, it can adjust to more community orientated.
The way I look at it is that if I don't take enough action to build my own stake, I am always going to be "stagnant" in my capacity to help others grow. Right now, I can only throw about 30-40 small upvotes a day around, AND that's with a couple of nice delegations.
When you're very small, something like a 10c upvote (especially on a comment) is actually "exciting" because it feels like actual progress. Getting 10c from a "bounty" feels like progress. If my account grows 10% in a week it feels like major progress... even if that's just 5SP.
So small things go a long way in making the difference between creating an active "future minnow" and yet another "dead redfish."
=^..^=
Hi @curatorcat, thanks for the comments.
Yeah basically the post is about not being too selfless, particulary if you plan to stick around. People have different opinons of how to spread your vote between self/small/large accounts - and I guess there is no ideal, this is down to the person.
Cheers.