So after reading this post, I discovered something about Steemit's reward system that I didn't realize before. Apparently, after a certain period of time, your post will no longer generate Steem payouts even if they receive upvotes. The current cutoff time is about 48 hours, and the incoming change will allow rewards to apply for up to 30 days. I didn't know about this until now, and neither did a lot of my Steemit loving friends. But now that we know I must ask - why?
Is there a technical reason that a cutoff must exist? Otherwise I can't see why ending rewards for content helps the platform or its users. In fact, it seems to me that disabling rewards after such a short period of time only punishes people for creating quality content that could stand the test of time. Not only do you need to get noticed by a whale to get any kind of reward, you must get noticed by one within a short period of time in the stampede of new and trending content. Even if something awesome is discovered months down the road, a whale couldn't reward you even if they wanted to. Shouldn't we be concerned about the kind of content this is going to encourage, and discourage?
Users can certainly adapt and focus on creating here-and-now posts. But what I have a hard time understanding is why there needs to be a financial incentive for flash-in-the-pan content over other types. Why shouldn't users promote things they've done in the past? Why shouldn't curators be rewarded for discovering gems from months ago? Why shouldn't a whale be allowed to reward that undiscovered piece of awesome from last year?
If I am incorrect in how this system works, by all means let me know. But if I'm correct, can we get an explanation for why this must be, and if not can we discuss and consider a change?