Small talk and its perils..aahh.. tell me about it. I have never been a fan of small talk and find it really difficult. Your advice on having meaningful conversations with a few people is so helpful. That's what I did too and that's what is helping me grow better on Steemit. I was oblivious of discord and communities on Steemit for about 1.5 months after joining Steemit too and it was only when I got active there and used it productively that I started experiencing more growth on the platform.