Oh yes! I remember the early days of my steemit life too! Although I was never sitting poolside while writing a post- lucky you
What's so much nicer now, versus when I joined in July 2017, is all the communities, support and initiatives available now. It makes the communication and advancement top notch, keeps retention levels high and gives people more motivation for being active.
I can’t speak about last year because I wasn’t here but your are dead right. Lots of support. It is reason why I stuck around