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The one doesn't exclude the other. Not for me at least.
By automatically curating people, I make sure I don't miss any post... sometimes the feed can be crowded and makes it impossible to read everything.

If I would comment automatically, that would be directly going against my idea of building community. Automatically upvoting small accounts that I like to support because I know they publish high content posts only, is nothing I'm against.

I see. Does this imply that people like me should find a sponsor? (What if you are never found by curators). A bit like a job interview, after all? Or suppose nobody likes you much? I am thinking of all those great composers lost in time because they never made it to court.

Would this not be creating another capitalist system that favours the fittest (as determined by the fittest)? I mean, philosophically speaking, it's a lot tricker than I first thought.... if we go into the ethical goal setting of Steemit as evolutionary platform.

I guess this depends on how you define quality and what you like. This is a personal thing, and if we would make it a specific standard for everyone to be held to, steem would collapse. But yes, finding like-minded people, who have the same idea about what quality is (I listed mine in the post) is a key factor I think.
Personally I'm not interested in the fittest, but as I'm looking for writers (personal interest), I do look for people who have something to say that is authentic. That make me wonder. That invite me into their world.

And yes, all the posts you put up are a reflection of what you want to see on Steem, right? In that sense it is like a job interview. And now I'm just small, but for any whale, I imagine you would want to support those projects you support, even if you want to support more than you can actually read.

Ah, but no. What I put up is not what I want to see on Steemit. The minute I would see something similar I would change. For me it's about being original. I feel bad about supporting only what I like. Who will stick up for the boring ones?

I know, I know, it's how it works in the world.
But that is also exactly my point.

but if you look for originality, isn't that what you 'like'? I 'like' things that reflect on things I haven't thought about myself.
But what is original about being reactionary to other people's work?

The difference is the clue.
But then you are also saying Steemit is just for fun, on the side? The things you really care about cannot live here. That sounds very healthy. But that is not the case for everyone. And yet, we all play along. Are we all intelligent enough for that?
Who is talking about genius? Who is talking about reactionary? I think you misunderstood me. That's okay. Why would I seek what I like? Is that the point of being here? I seriously hadn't thought of that. How do you look for originality, anyway? I just said I don't want to find people like myself. It would be a nightmare, as you now pretty well know.
Good luck with the curation.

And also you need to realise that being successful on steem has hardly anything to do with whether you're doing something on a genius-level. This autumn a book of mine will be published that perhaps one or two people in the world will be able to read. I know that, I don't expect it to do well. But it is an important work for me, and about things that would totally not work on steem. knowing that difference seems important.