I think you missed reading this part so I will post it again so you can read it..........

> First, sbi1, sbi2, and sbi3 are real people. If a real person did not spend their own Hive, which they earned by writing a post and then **gifting** a friend a vote for life, there would not be a sbi1, sbi2, or sbi3 vote on that person's post.

> When I started, I gave out a vote of one cent. Unless someone else came along, my one-cent vote was turned to dust on a person's post. If I remember correctly, back then, you needed votes of about three cents for it not to be turned to dust. HSBI helped everyone get over the dust thing.

> Also, if you didn't post or someone left, that money I spent on them was/is gone. So that is a risk I take/took. It hurts no one. It is up to me where I decide to spend my Hive and who I want to spend it on.

> Most of the people I have gotten HSBI for I also have on auto-vote. :D

> Auto vote, to me, I use on long-time Hive people that I have followed forever and have been there for me. I can not always read or leave comments......... The past few years, with taking care of my Mom, it has only gotten harder and a reason I have not been writing as much either. So using the auto voter for that makes me feel better knowing I can still help my friends.

> So I guess, in the end, I use auto-voting very differently than I do HSBI. 

> HSBI is to help new peeps get a vote on their otherwise zero-payout posts, to give them the incentive when they are new here to keep posting. I do not think you realize how important that one-cent vote can be to someone, even if there is no comment. If I send someone HSBI, I let them know, so they see the vote and see a person behind it. Plus, I know how thankful I was for those votes when I started.

> I hope this helps make things more straightforward.

> I have never seen **gifting** someone HSBI as *buying* a vote. I see it as using my Hive to give out a gift that keeps giving IF they stay on Hive.

> HSBI =  my personal onboarding initiative