As I'm settling back in, I've noticed something. While my views, comments and followers are growing, my upvotes are stuck and I wonder why that is. Well, I think I know, but it could be several things.

Does anyone else remember when they created post promotion?

Back about a year ago, a new feature came out, for those that wanted to invest in bumping their post up, they could promote it. Not everyone thought this was a good idea, in fact, many did not.

They argued that posts that had "earned" the votes belonged at the top of the trending and hot categories, not someone that dropped a few SBDs to buy the slot, but might not have great content. People got mad.

It ended in what you see now, a split feed, with promoted posts shown separately from the others. It effectively cut the legs out from under post promotion as a good tool for audience building and rewards earning. I had no problem with that.

If I can compete on a level playing field, I'll earn my share

Over the past ten years, I've managed to earn my way to the top of many writing platforms online. Am I the best? No, not always, but I'll take my deserved spot with pride. Steemit was no different. Within a few weeks of signing up in summer 2016, I was earning among the top posters, not every time, but my views, comments and follows showed it was earned.

All of this without buying a single vote. I did it through influence, by commenting, following and upvoting others, and adding quality content. I was content with that.

Now, we've devolved into a pay to play platform

If you watch the top tier of any category on the site, the people who consistently end up there are in one of two categories. Either they've invested to the point they can upvote themselves a fortune for every post, or, they fit in category two.

In the second category, we have people who are buying votes, or steem power to earn bigger rewards. I'm a capitalist, so selling your vote should be your right, but here's the thing, I fail to see the difference between promoted posts and vote buying, in fact, promotion was up front and transparent, most don't even realize when they're voting for posts that are high because of vote buying.

Here's why I think it matters

Right now, we're in an epic battle for quality content online. Whether it's the "fake news" claims, or Facebook adjusting the news feed to filter out more spam (while, simultaneously funneling more customers into their ad buying programs, of course) we're tired of the crap. But here, we've got it coming out of our eyes!

If you spend any time reading the content here on the Steemit feeds, you probably agree that the top posts are rarely the best posts. Sure, they've got huge followings, mostly because they are scrambling along behind,picking up curation crumbs as they go.

So, here's what I'd like to ask

Love me, or don't. I'm fine with that. I'll earn my way back to the top, I've been working on it a while now, but, be supportive. If my tips help you, or you like my stories, if you can take the time to comment and follow, and even resteem , then I have earned your upvote. So, where is it?

If, after earning your follow, and high praise, you're not voting for me, where are you voting? Did you even read that one? Or do you just know you can count on pennies a day from that author?

It matters, because the true content creators, the ones that will be producing good quality content on another platform if this one folds tomorrow, are the backbone of this platform. Not the flash in a pan, here for a buck, started a youtube channel to feed their bank account guys that never say anything original, the writers, painters, photographers and videographers that are driven to create are the ones that, over the long haul, will mean the difference between success and failure for the Steem eco-system.

I'm asking for your upvotes

I know, the white paper and FAQ say this is a sin, they also blast vote buying. If you're currently selling all of your steem power to someone else, stop it. Start supporting those of us who will help you when you need it.

Over time, those other investors will likely move on. They'll delegate their power to the next generation when they get bored, until the organic vote is a rare occurrence on this platform, we'll just have machines talking to machines.

So, if it's not me, pick someone. Follow and upvote someone. Support someone and make it a relationship. Choose who you're going to support and stick with them. I'm in the process of renewing my choices on that. Some of the writers that were active when I was here all the time before are gone now, or frankly, don't need my 30 cents. But, once I've figured out who I like, they can count on me. Maybe not for every post, but regularly. I'll upvote them, resteem what I really like and add my two cents in the comments to encourage them. Please, do the same.