Hey there, yep you and many others have come here for the money, it's actually really obvious to those of us who have been around for a while, and so no (or very few) votes are given, and no follows.

So, I think it's good you're having a rethink.

Honestly, the only reason I favorited your account was because you have a big stake

That's why most people follow me I guess, most of the new ones anyway. There's exceptions of course, those who actually engage with me on my posts, but mostly those who follow me are after my attention for votes. The sad thing is, that they don't engage, or if they do it's rubbish like good post and stuff like that which I ignore. If they did things right maybe they'd be getting more vote attention from me.

I appreciate your honesty in saying it though, I like people taking ownership and responsibility.

I see your three points and suggest maybe that you don't follow people just to study them, put them into your favourites list instead. You can always follow later. Also, I suggest you don't just post on the contests...It's clear who does so and why they do it...Post for the enjoyment of it, use your own photos where possible, not stock images, don't post too often and make sure you follow community rules. Engage with others (with relevance and interest) on their posts (but don't pester them) and shift your thoughts away from money...see value in the posting and engagement and the money will come later.