RE: Would you rather "Donate" to a Whale to get an Upvote or would You Wait for them to Notice your Hardwork Amidst Thousands of Posts
I think most people when they hear you get paid for using Steemit are too focused on the reward side and then either gets disappointed and leave, start complaining or turn to weird strategies like begging for votes or sometimes spamming.
I must admit when I joined I was also bummed because the rewards was small and it felt like I was getting nowhere. After doing some research on YouTube, I saw most bigger youtubers suggested, voting and commenting is best when you still new, because your first posts will most likely not be noticed and might make you more disappointed.
After a few days of just chatting and engaging with other members, Steemit actually started to become fun for me and the money part became just like an added bonus. I think that I am becoming an Steemit addict. If I wake up during the night for water or something can't stop myself from checking out my steemit on mobile. xD
Haha I feel the exact same way about Steemit, it's rather addictive :)
Those are some of the best tips btw, and I always share the same advice when people ask me how to grow here :)