The dust has well and truly settled since the last hard fork, with many positive vibes (and a few negative ones...). Before the hardfork my idea has always been to build up SP and then delegate to projects I support such as @dlike, @steembasicincome, @actifit and @steemhunt and earn passive income along with some of their native tokens. However the new hardfork has increased curation rewards and made me re think this strategy.

![sky-earth-galaxy-universe (1).jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmarfNC6Ne1gfvuG91FL5ZBSg3ALpKy5YDBPWirYW4fK1C/sky-earth-galaxy-universe%20(1).jpg)

<h1>Diversity and the case for delegation</h1>
The biggest argument for delegation is that it is a good way to diversify and earn tokens from projects that you support. For example I delegate to Steemhunt and  receieve hunt tokens, along with weekly payouts in Steem and SBD. More hunt tokens increases your 'hunt score' aswell, which can lead to bigger votes when posting on Steemhunt!

There are many, many great projects worthy of delegation on Steem, and I find it best to delegate to projects that you use often or see a bright future for.

![pexels-photo-943630.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTk5f7SGyZjoWtYmxvdAESSdg8B4SBEsRUykEszPAxW4S/pexels-photo-943630.jpeg)

I would say that if time is limited then delegation makes more sense, as this way your voting power is always being used, and if your account is not being used for a few days then the delegations are esentially working for you.


<h1>Manual curation allows you to control your stake</h1>
The great thing about manual curation is it allows you to control your own stake and support users who deserve it. More SP means a bigger upvote. To add to this, the way Steem works is that often users are attracted to those with a bigger upvote.

![pexels-photo-1282270.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZBHPs8WS2cZAJ8m61ZuG4tZkcb3iqcd2iXwW9hS27mWT/pexels-photo-1282270.jpeg)

Adding to this that curation is now essentially double what it was before the hardfork makes manual curation alot more profitable. Abit of research into timing of upvotes and finding under rated content can make manual curationa good earner

However, manual curation takes time and is not the avenue everyone would like to persue.

<h1>A balanced approach</h1>
Before the hardfork I was esentially 'all in' with delegations but the changes have made manual curation more attractive and also more enjoyable! It is great being able to directly reward valuable contributions to the ecosystem.

How has your habits changed after the hardfork?