Returning to the platform after a significant time off I noticed that I could no longer expect ~$20 for a quality post. My most recent scholarly article (that has exited it's payout time) garnered a measly $4.57. I don't know if this is the result of my long absence or some disappointing new trend in the platform. For example, I notice your post has a slew of "pay to upvote" bots pumping up its value. While this doesn't break any rules, it certainly violates the spirit of the platform.
Regardless, I welcome the idea of a slick "SteemIt Magazine."
By the by, I'd like for the "academic" tag to get more use. My intention is for it to be used on articles of high enough quality they could be submitted at the university level—or, in my case, actually are papers I've submitted with some images added. This to distinguish it from other "education" posts.
RE: In defense of finding value on Steem