Hey Dave, I can say from experience that being a newbie on the platform can be discouraging. I was lucky to have a good friend on the platform and he introduced me to some of his friends and that's how I managed to get a bit of boost.
Meanwhile, I noticed there is an entire system of bots and so on. I get a part of it is practicality, but at this point, I feel that the direction this is going is moving away from the initial idea of community and real curation.
So, I think initiatives like yours are more than welcome and I hope it will grow.
I'll take my chance on the next comment contest, and I am looking forward to see more from you.

All the best :)