I have not liked bidbots since the very beginning.
Many people say "it's just promotion" and I can buy into that IF — and only IF — a very simple tweak is made to move ANY post that has a bidbot vote from "Trending" to "Promoted."
Don't ban them, don't outlaw them, just label them for what they are: "Sponsored Content."
Every other social site on the planet does that with content people PAY to make visible. Why are WE so "special" that such a standard wouldn't apply here?
Yeah, I know...
"But then people might think my content is actually shit!"
They might. So why don't you create some content that is not shit, and stands on its own merit?
"But that's not FAIR! I should have as much right to the rewards as anyone else!"
Sure... and you should have the "right" to the rewards from conducting brain surgery at a hospital, even though all you've ever done is be a butcher's assistant... because? Because? Anyone? Bueller?
But it seems to me we have been over this many times, and I think you know where I fall on the opinion scale...
Transparency isn't desired. Scamming the system to make money is though. What you say is better than what we have. I have suggested payouts for votes purchased should go back to the reward pool, or sent to null. That way, it's an actual promotion/ad being purchased, not a suction of the reward pool that all the other honest players get less of by actually having their content rewarded through others evaluating it to merit such high rewards.
I like your idea of moving it to sponsored content.