Of course they are, but when someone is buying votes on lots of low quality posts that nobody else is supporting it's just a way to take rewards without adding value. I'd flag some of the trending posts I consider over-paid too.
Yeah, really irritating. But, .. It seems to me that Steemit, like roadside billboards, was built like an advertising platform; the more you pay, the more exposure (better position) you get and those who use bots hardly make a profit if any. (a loss; my personal experience with bots)
It looks like Steemit wants to treat us like roadside businesses whereas us Humans would rather sit on a terrace with a Beer or Coffee to do business. The disadvantage to us is that where traffic on that road is slower, people are more likely to pull over and visit, so the high value real estate is where the speed limits are low. The only way to get that real estate is to rent it from the bots or pay for Steem.
I therefore question the use of flags in these matters, because we are going after the customer and not the bot owner. If Steemit is to be a social platform, it has to act/behave more like a terrace or a town center, than a highway. So far, it doesn't, hasn't, and/or won't.
Besides, most of us don't read toilet paper, but we still buy it :-)
Thank you for your time @steevc, I agree with what you are trying to accomplish, just not certain whether the method will chase away Steemians rather than kill the bots.
The way I see it is that we have been told to use our votes to moderate the posts. Some will just do it for profit, but we have elected to try and deal with what we see as harmful activities. There may be a place for buying votes, but it ought to be on content with actual value. You can see that this user has been blacklisted by some 'bid bots' as they don't want to be associated with what he is doing. Others don't seem to care as they are making good money.
My vote can't make a huge difference, but I'll use it to try and help achieve a better distribution of rewards. We have the support of some witnesses who can have a bigger effect.
I'm not sure Steemit Inc intended things to be working like this or if they think it's up to them to set the direction. They have enough SP to do it, but they choose not to. We'll have to quiz Ned on this at Steemfest.
I agree, it would be interesting to get his views on this subject, though he may not speak freely as those bots are also platform power users. Guess I'll stick around for a while to see how this all washes out.
Of course they are, but when someone is buying votes on lots of low quality posts that nobody else is supporting it's just a way to take rewards without adding value. I'd flag some of the trending posts I consider over-paid too.
Yeah, really irritating. But, .. It seems to me that Steemit, like roadside billboards, was built like an advertising platform; the more you pay, the more exposure (better position) you get and those who use bots hardly make a profit if any. (a loss; my personal experience with bots)
It looks like Steemit wants to treat us like roadside businesses whereas us Humans would rather sit on a terrace with a Beer or Coffee to do business. The disadvantage to us is that where traffic on that road is slower, people are more likely to pull over and visit, so the high value real estate is where the speed limits are low. The only way to get that real estate is to rent it from the bots or pay for Steem.
I therefore question the use of flags in these matters, because we are going after the customer and not the bot owner. If Steemit is to be a social platform, it has to act/behave more like a terrace or a town center, than a highway. So far, it doesn't, hasn't, and/or won't.
Besides, most of us don't read toilet paper, but we still buy it :-)
Thank you for your time @steevc, I agree with what you are trying to accomplish, just not certain whether the method will chase away Steemians rather than kill the bots.
Sincerely, Onno.
The way I see it is that we have been told to use our votes to moderate the posts. Some will just do it for profit, but we have elected to try and deal with what we see as harmful activities. There may be a place for buying votes, but it ought to be on content with actual value. You can see that this user has been blacklisted by some 'bid bots' as they don't want to be associated with what he is doing. Others don't seem to care as they are making good money.
My vote can't make a huge difference, but I'll use it to try and help achieve a better distribution of rewards. We have the support of some witnesses who can have a bigger effect.
I'm not sure Steemit Inc intended things to be working like this or if they think it's up to them to set the direction. They have enough SP to do it, but they choose not to. We'll have to quiz Ned on this at Steemfest.
I agree, it would be interesting to get his views on this subject, though he may not speak freely as those bots are also platform power users. Guess I'll stick around for a while to see how this all washes out.
Have a good one!