There isn't a real incentive for good comments and imo the target shouldn't be the number of comments but the quality of them. Engagement has been the weak point of Hive and Steem for years.
Also, another hint, when you post something if you're an orca or a dolphin when someone comments you usually answer them. So there is a lot of comments in your own posts because you have a big list of followers, that isn't the case of a minnow or a red fish.
And of course is very concerning all this data.
I disagree with that, only few are as responsive as @abh12345 :) Maybe if they get a lot of comments from one person they stop ignoring. I usually stop at 3 tries, after 3 no replies I feel ignored by that user xD
Maybe you're right and there are more of those who doesn't even bother in replying the comments in their posts, in my experience they do, because if they didn't I wouldn't even comment them. I was referring also to the weight that the amount of comments in their own posts has in the statistics. You have the example of this post with more than 100 comments that means that abh12345 has done 100 comments only to reply his followers, for me that has merit and I recognize his effort to satisfy and engage with his followers but it isn't the same merit nor the same value for me than make those 100 comments in other users posts.
Yup, I mentioned that as well and Abh12345 replied to my other comment that he might make another stat of how many comments are made outside of user's posts. :) I've seen down in comments another user suggesting the same and they might do the statistics analysis as well.
done :)
Which brings us nicely onto my newest post :)
Quality is tough to measure, but I agree it's not all about number of comments or amount of text. You know what they say though, throw enough shit at a wall and some will stick :)
I don't mean replying with 'nice post' all the time - one humorous sentence that shows a post has been read is a good start.