I know you said to avoid it, but great post! It covers all the things a new user would like to know. The only thing I am missing is some elaboration about upvoting, since voting in the first 30 minutes of existence of a post, the upvote is worth less.
Then check this post out and follow the author too! (one of the best curators i know)
https://steemit.com/curation/@liberosist/mind-your-votes-ii-a-guide-to-maximizing-your-curation-rewards