Most people around here are still in for the money - the proof is the huge amount of SP that is delegated to the bidbots, which pay out a nice return.
Personally, I find this a bridge to far. I would probably earn more and would be able to grow my account faster if I would hop on that train, but I won't.
There are two bots I delegate to: @dustsweeper, since it is a very valuable service that prevents that smaller votes will turn to dust, and @trufflepig - a AI bot that looks for undervalued content. I get a very small return from this last one.
I've got around 3000SP, and 1/3 is delegated. I'm delegating to some community accounts, like @newbieresteemday, @asapers and @friendsofgondor, because I admire their support to the community. These delegations don't bring in any financial rewards, but the fact that they are helping so many others on this platform is reward enough for me.
Just recently, I added @steemhunt and @actifit to the list, mainly because I believe in the power of extra Blockchain applications.
The most rewarding kind of delegations, however, are the delegations given to individuals. A little over two months ago, I hosted a contest and gave 4 small accounts a delegation of 50SP for 8 weeks to get them out of the bandwidth error zone. Since I was fortunate enough to be able to buy myself in, I have never experienced those issues myself, but I can imagine running out of bandwidth must be very annoying.
8 weeks later, these people were able to get by on their own. It's not only a great feeling to know you can make a difference - even if it is only a small one - but by delegating to individuals, you also make a connection with them, which might even be the most important of all.
(By the end of the day, I'll have 3 new delegatees that will each receive 75SP for 8 weeks to help them grow their account.)
Some great ideas, thanks for this.
Great point
Hi there! I just upvoted you, I am a semibot that sometimes vote on great content or sometimes just Create useful content. I am helping @cheetah , @FollowForUpvotes , @minnowSupport , @steemgigs , @dropahead #bots and other users right now for making the steem more helpful to new users. Contact me if you want me to follow on your content or comments. If you have any query then please contact me. You can always send me SP or SBD so i can keep helping you indirectly by helping these awesome bots.
Do not forget to Follow @jeevanot, I actually create content as HUMAN. />
You’re welcome :0)
The hardest part is selecting who to delegate to. There are so many promising users who can use a little help. THat’s why I host contests to select the winners. The contest is about engagement. The more participants are active on the platform, the bigger their chance on winning. This to avoid sending delegations that are not used for the best.