I think this is spot on. I actually wrote a post a few weeks back on my favorite discord channels for newbies to start finding support. I didn't learn that myself until after a few months. (Before that I was fortunate to at least learn to prioritize following people who responded to comments on their posts, and being able to invest some in STEEM.)

Now I would say that my community relationships are definitely the most important part of my steemit experience, even though I earn a decent amount for these depressed STEEM prices. There are other places to earn more, but I still spend the bulk of my time with my communities here.

Really I hate communicating in chat. It's so difficult to keep track of a conversation that it literally gives me a headache. But until there are groups on this platform, it is a necessity to get those really wonderful conversations going in the comments threads on your posts.