I actually think that you're an excellent example of someone who successfully uses social media for self-promotion in a *classy* way. From what I can tell, you produce a huge amount of work and give it away for free in the form of of blogging, tumblr, twitter, etc. You aren't promoting meloukhia the individual in an obnoxious way, but you're definitely getting your name out and recognized in a way that is converting into paid work.

I keep trying to figure out what a good gatekeeper system would look like without the publishing industry, and the closest thing I can come up with is the equivalent of fan fiction recommendations. I kind of shudder to think of what would happen with all the universe's slush if there wasn't an industry dedicated to returning it to authors.