Thanks Matt :)
I agree, I think the value of Steemit as a social media platform is in the quality of posts and the engagement of the audience, and I think Steem is a good motivator to post quality content, but I hope there is a way to stop people from trying to shortcut the system.
Really, quality content delivered to an engaged community should be its own reward, and the potential for money is a nice bit of icing on the cake :)