Do You Believe?
So I just posted this but I actually wanted to say a few things.
STEEM is down. It is under $2 and when that happens it seems that post payouts start to go down. I am not sure exactly how they are calculated but one of two (or both) things are happening:
1) STEEM Price Reflected In Potential Payout
I assume the payout you get on posts is tied to the value of STEEM. So as it goes down then so does the potential payout of your posts. I don't believe that less STEEM is allocated to you in this scenario but the value is just dropping. (At least for this theory)
2) Allocation of Reward Account Adjusting
My second theory is that the reward pool is just adjusting to more potential payouts as they are cast. The reward pool is not infinite but is pretty large and gets STEEM added on each block. However, it is also paying out STEEM on each block. After HF19 🍴 the payouts jumped but as more votes are cast over the coming weeks the amount of pending payouts drops to reflect that change and the finite reward pool.
I Vote Both...
I honestly think that what is happening is a reflection of both of these ideas. The value of STEEM is dropping and that is reflected in your payout and the reward pool is balancing out after an initial push to give more.
The hard part with this is the human element. Once we see an amount we then expect that as the standard. We decide that is what we are due. Well, hot shot, you aren't due that. You aren't promised that. What you are promised is a community and opportunity to post awesome content and get rewarded. And unless you think the platform is failing or the idea is flawed, then prepare for things to take off because this ride ain't over yet! 🎢