I think that you're lucky that you didn't hear of it!
But, let me explain since you've asked.

There are certain communities on Steemit that would ask you to go to 'New Comers' community and perform certain tasks to get verified. That happens whenever you post something in their community. It's something that I really didn't get and didn't expect to find on Steemit.

I agree with you about comments. Platforms like this are all about building connections.