This is a great analysis of the economic, or income earning, potential of using Steemit. I initially joined Steemit because I was told that I could earn money for my posts and comments, and I figured I'd give it a shot.

But after being here for a couple weeks, I learned that, to me, Steemit is more about the community than the money. Sure, there are other sites for specific research, but if I'm looking to scroll up and down a social network with no real objective, I seem to usually learn more doing so on Steemit than other social networks I'm on, many of which have unfortunately devolved into a constant barrage of half-understood politics and meaningless arguments.

I think the indirect benefits of Steem's payouts outweigh the direct benefits that are the payments themselves. If somebody wants to get paid, they need upvotes, and therefore are more likely to contribute something meaningful. The "trolls" will quickly get bored here because they won't be making any money. Along with the curation process, we have a good system of organizing content and making sure that the good posts get more exposure than the bad ones. I think this is what really makes Steemit special.