All good points and while you're trying to build your audience, you have to be "friendly"(with or without sending nudes). Not in a "thanks for coming to my blog way" creepy way, although that helps but I'm takin about engaging in actual conversations with your readers.
Hive may be like other social media but around here, there's also the small factor of Hive power and that's why bigger accounts get more engagement than smaller ones.

I'd say Hive is more of a social media to people on the lower end of the hive power spectrum because we have to actually engage posts and make friends. At least that's what I try to do with people around here because just like in real life, positive connections translates to more people to support and to support you. Lots of "big" accounts don't necessarily have to worry about that because they get their attention through their own means and I ain't pissy about it, because in reality, that's just how things go.