Goodness - I'm going to try to breakdown your essay to collate my thoughts 😆

How can one belong here or anywhere? Only if you are able to do what you like and are surrounded by like-minded

Ah, I just answered this in my other comment. But yes - like minded and similar interests brings connection which brings a sense of belonging. The greater the connections, the greater the sense.

As I finally understood the use it was all of a sudden forbidden.

If they were forbidden, they would have been removed... but they're certainly frowned upon and I understand why. Yes, I know what I'm about to say is "just life" but we earn these resources which have the power to help others but by delegating it all to a bid-bot, you are simply helping yourself. Which is selfish. And the world's selfish enough already.

how come as how come you are not a witness? Or are witnesses only those who generate blocks?

It's exactly that. Witnesses run machines that verify information and add it to the Blockchain. It requires servers (computers) which costs money to run and in return, they are paid in STEEM. But in order for the payment to cover the costs, you'd need to be in the top 20. And as moecki (who's in my opinion one of the best and most active witnesses on the platform - and most like me) has proven, reaching the Top 20 appears to be impossible for somebody like me.

Do you have the idea that those using auto-votes stimulate others to do the same? Is it wrong to earn with an investment? Will people still invest if there's no interest?

I definitely think the voting-bots stimulate others to do the same and we need to distinguish between "financial" investors and "time" investors. I get the "financial" investors - people coming along with their own money - wanting a return on this. Unfortunately, the optimal way is to post any old garbage every day. A flaw in the system design that most of the Top Witnesses are taking advantage of.

"Time" investors have received support from the community in order to reach their "status". People like me - who haven't emptied their bank account to buy STEEM. These "investors" are integral for new "time-investors" to succeed, remain on the platform and continue to grow. These are the people that the Steemit Team predominantly supports. Once these "time-investors" turn to voting-bots, it makes it that bit harder for the next "time-investor" to succeed. Which as we've seen over the years, results in fewer real / genuine "time-investors". Pre Hive-Fork, the "time-investors" were also "financial-investors" and there wasn't a clear segragation. Now the segragation couldn't be more obvious. "Financial-Investors" aren't "Time-Investors" and there are fewer "financial-time-investors" than there are people that I follow.

I doubt that makes sense - it does to me.

What will happen if no one welcomes them and they are left on their own? Will they be more active, and show more creativity?

Given that something like 9 out of 10 people who write their introduction post have left within 3 months (i have a post about this somewhere), the welcome has absolutely zero impact (in the Newcomers' Community at least).

What if there's an option to chat, comment, some activity for the newcomer where they can chat? The greeters can check in turn and keep the conversations alive. A small prize can be set for the newcomers which they can earn.

There's a Discord Channel but there's barely any communication on it. Very little beyond "Sir, please verify me".

But first comes first: What do you want? Not for the platform, not for the community but for yourself?

I want more people like me. I want more people who will say "What's this shit? Why have you posted a photo of a chicken?" People who make an effort and take pride in what they produce - instead of churning out something to get their daily votes. Then when those people exist, I want them to continue to be interesting even when they do get their $5 daily auto-vote. Instead of resting on their laurels and posting a few photos each day for their votes. (I have one example in mind as I type this - a moderator in WOX - and I'm so desperate to ask her: "What happened? Your content used to be fantastic and now it's just a few boring photos.")

I want people to be honest - genuine. To write about what they want to write. Not because posting any old shit in certain communities gives you an increased chance of receiving an auto-vote from symbionts or by using the #krsuccess tag. People who are willing to think beyond the votes, beyond themselves and realise that we could have something greater. Dare I say it... more like Hive - without the dick swinging aggression.

And The Steemit Quiz has brought these people to me. It's these people who are taking part that are different from the rest. And there aren't many of them.