Do you get lots of messages here saying things along the lines of "thanks for the content" that are just nice little messages that you don't reply to because they're essentially like little compliments or thank you notes?
yes, absolutely.  and i am extremely grateful for them. the reason i don't post them is because i think that might get awkward for some viewers (particularly the ones who don't like me as much) to see constant praise. But i really really appreciate it, and i just want to say thank you to anyone who has submitted anything like that, whether here or by email, or any other platform