"Nothing that is written by regular users who don't have millions in their accounts is ever seen at the top"

Incorrect. The amount in a user's account has nothing to do with their rewards, as it is voters that determine the rewards. newbies have stepped in and made thousands on their very first post, with zero in their accounts.

"It's a crap system because it inherently discourages participation unless you are already a whale and can game the system for massive profits."

the Slack chat (now Rocket Chat) is open for anyone to come and participate in. it's a brilliant system because it's open and transparent.

a newbie may not have huge voting power, but they have equal opportunity to create exceptionally-valuable content and reach out to connect with the whales or anyone in between.

all are free to join in on the discussions and self-promote. and those who CONSISTENTLY produce exceptional VALUE inevitably do get noticed.

I started at zero. I've done well because the incentivization structure IS ITSELF encouragement for quality participation. The earliest adopters may have had an advantage by getting in at the beginning, but everyone is free to step up, create massive value, build relationships, and earn their way to wherever they choose in life - IF they understand the core necessity of creating VALUE, maintaining integrity, learning the rules of the game, and respectfully contributing to the community's advancement.