https://i.imgur.com/c5JvqCE.jpg
<sup>[source](http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/p/8/r/1/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxp8me.png/1501861579250.jpg)</sup>

Perhaps you've noticed that a week ago I was making 30-60 SBD per post, but now I'm making around 10. I sure noticed. 7 of those are mine, so that's more like 3-5 SBD on each post, coming from my 4,349 followers. Something seems amiss here. 

Did my whales leave? Did they power down? I [sounded the alarm](https://steemit.com/steemit/@alexbeyman/sbd-is-above-usd8-that-s-good-my-payouts-have-dropped-by-2-3rds-that-s-less-good) and briefly my posts went back to making what they did before, only for payouts to once again shrink not long after. Are the whales still here, but spending their voting power elsewhere?

I could understand that. I'm doing alright, other people just getting started on the platform need that support more than I do. But it leaves the question of how I should respond to suddenly losing 2/3rds of my income. 

If I make 20 SBD per post then I'm secure in housing, food and utilities even if SBD plummets back to 1 USD per coin. That's the safety line for me. Of course so long as SBD is worth several USD, despite the recent severe dip, I can make enough to live on even with my current average of 10 SBD per post. 

I could react in fear, by being more conservative. I could decrease my upvote percentage and spend it on my own comments to boost my earnings, for example. But I didn't get where I am by being fearful and miserly. I got here by cultivating a dedicated following and giving back to the community.

So instead I will be doubling the percentage of voting power I give you guys. Good, reasonably high effort posts will now get a minimum of 10% voting power, which seems to be about what I can sustain right now given the high number of upvotes I issue per day. 

I was giving only 5% after I learned the hard way that giving too much results in draining your voting power down to zero, and it takes *forever* to fully regenerate. But now I'm seeking a balance which permits me to give you guys as much as possible. 

That's what I feel the appropriate reaction to scarcity is. Because if it's hitting me hard, it's hitting most of you much harder. I'm in a position to soften the blow, so I will. That's the real value of STEEM, and what people mean when they talk about a "Steemit Community".

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*<sup>Stay Cozy!</sup>*