@cerebralace, certainly a very useful and informative article and analysis-- especially for our newer members! Well done!
I'll tell, you, though... I still find little rhyme or reason to which posts "get legs" and run, and which do not... even one of my good friends here who's rep score is in the mid-70's doesn't predictably earn on his posts. But hey, every little piece of information helps!
Definitely it's not a very exact science but I hope it is still accurate than meteorology lol. I imagine the tags associated with the post also make a difference (e.g. Steemit tagged posts earning more than those with Pokemon tags). Thanks for the kind words @denmarkguy!