I think I may have inadvertently responded to this on the other comment. I was working backwards this time through most recent comments first and so just got to this one.

All I know is, value is in the eye of the beholder. And someone, more than just me, is voting on your posts, and, if people don't see value, than they don't have to upvote. There's room for a lot of things here, and to flourish. It's just not going to feel that way until more people are here and sticking around.

As it is, I find more value in any post, yours, mine, whoever's, when there's more than just a picture and a sentence. I think you've been meeting that threshold quite regularly. It's easier for me to come in on the posts that have some kind of history or interesting story attached to them then it is to comment on the posts for the color contests. I would think that at least an equal purpose for those kind of posts would be to enter the contest, and actually help it grow by its mention, as much as it is to get something on the post.

The holier than thou attitude has to go. There are no rules. I don't have nearly as many photos to share as you and many others do, so I'm probably not going to be posting about photos or creating photo essays. Fine. You and others can do it and we'll try together to diversify the subject matter here on the platform.

As it is, you know as well as I, that the amount of words doesn't mean you've said anything at the end of them. So, again, value is in the eye of the beholder.

I don't know how to get around the early distribution, or rewards. I came across a two year old post that received in excess of $1,000 in rewards on it. It wasn't worth anywhere near that, but then, STEEM would have been $0.10 maybe? That would be a $100-plus post now, and in my mind, not many are worth even that. I have experience paying reporters by the piece, though, so I'm probably biased. But by and large, I would include my own work in that assessment, too.

I'm hoping it's not 20 years, either. My only hope would to somehow manage to be a young 72. As it is, I'm looking at 10 years, tops. I don't think that's out of the question. I very much believe it's doable, given what else seems to have value in the crypto space. Institutional money is coming, maybe by the end of the year, but regardless, when that comes, we'll see who the winners and losers are, and we'll also see if we like having that much money and all of the regulation and baggage it brings.

I chalk up buying in as a good thing, if you can do it. If you can't, then time is about the only ally.

The HF may or may not mean much. I think the jury is still out, since the talk about it is now turning toward either a positive or a wash from it being a total negative. I don't think we can know until it's on, functioning, and people are doing their level best to work within it, or workaround it. Every action has a reaction, and those are hard to predict in full.

I'm more interested in seeing what Communities brings to the platform. It has the potential to clean up a lot of things, or at least make it so we can all find something we're comfortable with. It also has the potential to make things worse. If it's sound and we can't make it work, than there's not much hope for anything on platform. SMTs would be the only way, in my mind, to keep STEEM going.