Well that comment certainly made me feel a bit better about throwing 1k into a bear market, haha.

Bear market is the only market that money should be thrown upon, or just the end of it ;)

Regarding UI issues, I believe the HF20 will enable easier data pulling from the blockchain which should enable the development of better UIs also.

I've contemplated just buying STEEM for a long time, and I must admit that now I have started to, I feel a bit more optimistic about my place on the site -- I guess the few extra cents of voting weight make me feel better knowing good content is slowly getting the reward it deserves.

Putting one's own money into this place certainly makes one more committed and motivated for its success too, and in the future it'll be a strong track record from the times when instead of buying, people were selling out of losing hope – or rather just letting emotions to take over their decisions. Let the weak hands sell so that serious ones will get the Steem even cheaper!

Few cents will add up over long-term :)