Let me get this straight: some newbie observations

Today is day 3 for me on Steemit. Its been a lovely experience so far... the variety of topics that I have been exposed to across the board have been awesome. I've read articles from art, to people's journeys across states/ countries, to enlightment, meditation excercises, various forms of what I like to call intelligent humor (vs shallow humor that is shared on other social media platforms) and many articles on Steemit itself. I had questions, googled them, and there were always results with a Steemit post that answered them. So I thought I'd post some things I came up with that I was unaware of when I started with Steemit. Make sure I have them correct, as well have them available for other people who are new and might be equally unaware/confused.

Giving upvotes do not necessarily earn you incentives
On my first day, I read that upvoting nets you a piece of the rewards. I also read that it was vetter to vote early, as one of the first voters, on an article you thought would do well. So, exploring, I did that. Of course, only on articles I was truly interested, but I focused efforts on getting some upvotes out there. One, to support the author, and two, to get a bit of a bank rolling so I could then convert to Steem Power, and thus have more weight on my upvotes and more impact on the author's rewards. I got a few votes in early on for posts that did well. I was excited! I eagerly awaited payout end time and!... nothing. What?! So I google and research and read. It seems that your votes both increase in weight and worth as wrll as what comes back to you based on your Steem Power. So, increasing your Steem Power should be a primary focus if your goal is to have weight and return on your upvotes. You can check the value of your vote here: http://www.steemdollar.com/dollar_per_vote.php?
It will give you a generic "this account's votes are worth $0, so be sure to enter your username for accurate results.)
Upvoting is not useless at this stage though, its still great support for content you appreciate, as well as a good way to make friends and followers.

Commenting and adding value to a post and discussion benefits you regardless of your Steem Power.
As I understand it, your Steem Power does not play in to the rewards you receive from commenting and adding discussion to an article. Your comments can be upvoted, earing you rewards, as well as your contribution to the discussion.

I'm not stating these as definitive facts, rather my understanding so far. Please feel free to correct me or add information if you feel so inclined. Anyone reading this, please check the comments for any corrections or additional information that may be contributed from other users.

I'm looking forward to growing my understanding and contribution in this fine community. It has been a welcomed respite from the negativity, conpetition, and shallow things that are so prevalent and even encouraged on other social media. Thank you for this refreshing community!