1. **Upvoting as Engagement**: Your first point about the i…

1. **Upvoting as Engagement**: Your first point about the importance of upvotes is crucial. In any social platform, the perception of appreciation or validation (like upvoting) plays a significant role in user interaction. It creates a positive feedback loop. Users feeling appreciated are indeed more likely to continue contributing content. Maybe Treechat could implement a "guarantee upvote" feature where if a post doesn't receive an upvote within x time, the system automatically gives it one to ensure everyone gets recognition for their contribution.