Your civic duty
It's been a while since the last time I checked my Witness votes. Yes, I have the tendency to capitalize the word 'witness' to convey the meaning without having to rely on context. Here's what I have so far. I have used 20 out of 30 votes.
Some of the Witnesses here are well-known. Some are not. I vote for them based my subjective perception of their contributions to the Steem blockchain. The best part of Witness voting is that you can change your vote at any time when you feel like you no longer support their missions.
I have personally interacted with most of the entities on the list shown above. Some are based on recommendations from other reputable Steemians. Some will probably be switched out in the near future when I change my mind.
Why vote?
Because these people literally keep the Steem blockchain running. Without them, the blockchain ceases to function. Maybe now you will think twice about polluting the sphere with spam, plagiarism, etc. These folks put in real resources to maintain the place where you and I interact.
The top 20 Witnesses, in theory, are also the keyholders to lasting changes on the platform.
Do your research
No matter the size of your stake, learn about the Witnesses in our community and support them with your votes. Find out what they do. Interact with them, if possible.
For me
As I mentioned, I have 10 more votes left. I can do some digging on my own. In fact, I do have a few new ones that I do intend on casting my votes on soon. However, I would appreciate it if community members let me know of some Witnesses that I might be interested in supporting. Thanks!