Hi @manicalchemist,
I see you are actively posting on Steemit using different tags, but to learn more about Steemit ecosystem and reasonable upvote, you can participate in Steemit Newcomer's achievement program, diary game and other contests and communities.
Here is the link for diary game (Please follow similar post title format and hashtags) - link
Here is the link for different active contests - link
Here is the list of community that you may want to join as per your interest - link
Follow @steemitblog for latest updates and announcement on Steemit.
Thank you!