You did what?
Twelve days ago I bought a 2000SP 30 day delegation from . Two days later I increased it to 4000SP. In total it cost me 106 Steem. My total SP now stands at 7,089.808 and my 100% upvote is $0.72. Not huge by any measure, but it allows me to seek out more worthy posts to upvote.
So you are trying to get a return on your investment, right?
No. When I received the delegation - which was handled very quickly by - I made the decision to no longer upvote my own posts. All the increased SP was to be spent upvoting and curating others. Looking at the figures, I stand to lose out on this deal. There is no way I am going to get the return on my investment through curation rewards - but that was never my intention.
So, why do it?
I believe in Steem and Steemit, and I am here for the long haul. The investment I made dented my wallet, true. What I treasure more than the monetary value though, is the sense of community and the chance to help shape it. I relish the idea of helping newbies to the platform by encouraging their posts, and I hope, helping to retain newer users who might have become disillusioned with Steemit.
I strongly believe that by voting more regularly at a higher rate than I did previously, it has helped to build my network. Since I bought the delegation, my followers have increased by almost 200.
But, Muxxy...they are lowly minnows...even if they do upvote you, it won't hold much value.
This is true. Today, they might be plankton or minnows, but so was every dolphin and whale out there. I'm investing in Steemit, the community, and my own future. So no, it's not totally selfless: there is method behind my madness. If my upvotes on other people's posts, and on their constructive comments on mine help in a little way, the 103 Steem is worth every little cent.