@leaky20 you are so right on here! I officially started posting consistently on December 1st and it was pretty clear to me that in order to actually encourage people to read my content - I had to go out and read there's.

That's a very fair trade off in my opinion.

Once I started to read and comment on other Steemitor's posts, I actually really started to enjoy the platform more. Not only was I reading interesting material, but I also began (as you stated) forming new relationships with others on the platform. Before doing that, I was all alone!

Thus far, reading and leaving genuine comments on other channels, then inviting users back to my own channel has been extremely effective. 95% of my followers right now are people who I've personally connected with, and that feels really good to me.

I'm glad there are more Steemitors out there that embrace this model. It's ultimately - in my opinion - how we will collectively grow Steemit into a platform (and marketplace) that can bring a ton of value to the world!

Thanks for the fantastic post here @leaky20. I'd love to hear your thoughts about my recent post: Expand Your Options, Expand Your Life