Thanks for the post as many of your points are valid.
When starting out I found that it is nice to follow authors that appreciate and, at least occasionally, tip (that is upvote) good well written comments. In this way you can build a relationship with them. Third parties also upvote good comments and therefore commenting and gaining author rewards often trumps curation rewards. I have made 100's through commenting.
Look for good content by good authors and get involved.