Me as well, I never really did much authoring online before joining Steemit.

One of the things that I really like about blogging on Steemit is that trolls rarely make arbitrary, scathing comments on your posts just to be jerks. This is because, of course, there is the consequence of flagging and negatively impacting one's popularity. I love this feature because it is a reflection of how the real world works.

And then of course, real value is at stake. People have to really think hard before posting some unnecessary hurtful or mean comment. Of course there a few whales out there who feel untouchable and don't really care about the consequences, but they are in the minority!