RE: LOW-LIFE DOWNVOTING MEMBERS
"The overwhelming majority make less-than-break-even for the electricity they pay to run their computer(s)."
Agreed! So what's the point? Is this whole Steemit thing really worth it, or are we all just wasting our time putting that $500 per month (or whatever) in the hands of those who really have no respect for the rest of us. Only a fool would do that. I think it's time to shut down Steemit for what it really is...a ponzi scheme.
"I'm just pointing out that even those at the TOP aren't exactly "rollin' in it"."
Point taken! But let's not forget that there are countries in the world where $500 a month would be considered a lot of money.
But regardless of how money is earned or allocated, one of the other main problems with Steemit is the fact that there is almost no original content posted. The vast majority of it is simply copied and pasted from somewhere else on the Internet.
And that's probably where most of steem's potential growth lays.
"And that's probably where most of steem's potential growth lays."
Not really! They may be initially interested in joining Steemit to make money from curating articles, but as soon as they discover that it is impossible to do so, without investing in a lot of Steem Power, they will leave just as quickly as they come. Also, they will not have the money to buy a significant amount of Steem even if they wanted to.
I have seen a few charitable organizations on steemit trying to promote photography and other work by accounts from countries with wrecked economies.
And I don't personally see a problem with that.
If people want to treat steemit as a sort of news aggregator, that seems perfectly reasonable to me.
Slashdot, FARK, GoogleNews, and actually most "news" sources don't post original content. They just regurgitate Reuters and the Associated Press.
Why do I care if it's "original" or not. I only care if it's interesting.
Although, I do find those on the almighty steemit "top trending" page to be pretty boring.
"And I don't personally see a problem with that."
While I might also agree with that, someone needs to tell some of Steemit's biggest members to STOP black listing members for posting such articles. Have you noticed just how many members have been black listed for that very thing? I would bet far more members than are now active.