So, this is interesting. Originally this article was going to be about how Steemit users aren't really engaging enough, just posting and voting, but actually engaging in discussion, but then I ran the numbers against Reddit...
As it turns out, at least based on my small sample size, Steemit users are more engaged in discussion on average than Reddit users.
Let's compare the front pages of both, and look at how many upvotes and how many comments are on the front page posts, then work out the ratio. This will tell us roughly how many users are likely to just upvote and move on when they find something interesting, and how many will actually stop and join in the discussion.
Here's what I'm seeing right now:
Steemit:
Votes / comments
297 / 45
367 / 22
242 / 38
254 / 35
221 / 13
421 / 130
283 comments in 1802 votes
= 1802 / 283
0.15704772475 comments per vote
Reddit (r/all)
votes / comments
6674 /618
7209 / 1541
5121 / 26
4530 / 389
6073 / 621
5304 / 1081
= 4276 / 34911 = 0.12248288505 comments per upvote
Would you look at that? Steemit users are actually MORE likely to engage in discussion here.. this is great news, because some of the most compelling aspects of Reddit are the funny, insightful, and just plain oddball discussion sub-threads which come up in the most unexpected places sometimes. If Steemit retains this level of user engagement as the platform grows, it's going to be a lively place!
So there y'go. I did the math so you don't have to.