I have stayed here because I truly enjoy the community side more than I ever expected to!

This is the right motivation. We can't blame some writers feeling bad when they hit the 'lull'. They were lured for the rewards, as the curators feel their importance in this community, otherwise, it will get boring seeing the same thing on the trending page. But I believe there's more behind getting those talented authors out there.

It's just the UI of this community is designed for making money. Seeing a post making $$$ already has an emotional effect on some people. But it's still in beta, so let's see. We can only be positive.

Then some people here curse Facebook? Come on. I'm seeing the same thing here, worse if you put money, people change big time. Some people can drown here in their money. Others are traveling, having the time of their lives and writing about those.