Great advice and tips. I do hope payment for external views pans out. My payouts dropped substantially before Mr. Stubblebine took over. They haven't improved. My notifications plunged too – from over 99+ (that maximum the notifications tag can register) to between 30 and 50 a day. And, most of those notifications are in response to my interactions on other people's posts rather than my own work.

I don't really track the stats. I just read, read, read, write, read, read, read, etc., ad infinitum. My followers have more than tripled, but my reads and payouts keep declining. I said when I began a year ago that I would be fine if I just made the fee – and I've made that plus a tad more. However, it is disheartening to see my already tiny payouts (never more than $35 in a month) halved rather than growing.

I don't think I'd be able to write and engage if I spent time focusing on those stats. Still… it sometimes begins to feel like a punishment to read other folks when they don't read your work.