Thank you for your honesty. If your content is good and adds value to the platform, it deserves to be rewarded. No need to be ashamed of that.

Some people are investors. Some people are producers. Some people are both. Steemit needs all of that.

... the rewards system is what enables Steem to really be different.

Yes, Steemit is different, but how sustainable is it?

... it would be a kind of mash up between reddit and patreon.

That's a good analogy. Thank you for that. Steemit would add to the mix the decentralization and the cryptocurrency aspect. That would be a killer product!

Thank you for your contribution and welcome to the club!