The @tenkminnows account is mostly voting automatically using Hive Vote and so those votes are not based directly on quality. However, we will review accounts we support periodically. What we want to see is people actively trying to build engagement and a following, but some are not doing much of that. We can adjust the votes to give more support to those who try. If and when you do reach minnow status then you are likely to be taken off the voting roster. That will also lose you votes from people who just follow the trail and so you are likely to see a reduction in rewards.
It is a fact that a lot of people get automatic votes from various projects and individuals, but they could be withdrawn at any time. It can be better to get regular support from people who actually enjoy your content. So you do have to put the effort in. Quality can matter more than quantity. Just doing daily Actifit posts saying you went for a walk may not be considered valuable.
Apart from anything else it is more fun to get human responses to your posts that can lead to conversations and new friendships. Social media should be about finding those who share your interests. The money aspect of Hive can distort that.
As far as this project is concerned we want to see more people with a bigger stake, but Hive needs quality posts. We will be doing more reviews of those on our list. If you do not show signs of engagement or if you are not powering up your rewards then you may lose support.
Chart from @arcange
The number of minnows may have stopped dropping for now, but we have a big job to reach our original target. A couple of years ago there were well over 9000 and it looked like we were nearly there, but certain events split the community and not everyone stayed with Hive.
It is understandable that some people may want to cash out as HIVE goes up, but building your stake has benefits. They value of your vote goes up and so do the value of the curation rewards. Do you have confidence in Hive?
Hive five!