@joachim thanks for the reply, and yes you are correct. It is very difficult to build a reputation on steemit, and you are also correct about the early adopters and investors. One of my colleagues is an early adopter and are earning at minimum around $600 for each post, but he has already posted at least 40-50 times. I am hoping that through posting regularly and not posting garbage, one can build a following. I hope the follow button starts working soon. I just followed you by the way ... I also believe the new changes coming in Fork 11 will help us all and make a difference in the reputation building process