Buying SP and then self-voting isn't investing, it's just draining funds from the reward pool
No it isn't. The reward pool is fixed in terms of STEEM but not in terms of value (dollars, etc.). STEEM only gets its value from people buying it or holding it. Without people buying it, you can earn all the STEEM you want from the reward pool, but they will be worthless.
Someone who buys SP and then selfvotes is not 'draining' anything and at best can get back a portion of what was put in. It causes no harm at all.
Investors are the ones who underwrite all of the rewards on this platform. If you are not an investor, or are only a smaller investor, you need to focus your efforts on creating inspiring content that makes investors want to give their money to you. Whatever else they do or don't do with their money (including self-voting) is not your concern and does not harm you in any way. Nevertheless, you do have a downvote that you can use to disagree with what you think are underserved rewards. I suggest using it.
How can you not see the harm in self-voting? I just don't get it, it's so unbelievably obvious why it's bad. All you have to do is think about what value this platform has if nobody voted on others.
Of course people can do with their money whatever they want, but self-voting just isn't smart (except for content promotion obviously). Your alt account only self-votes 4% and i'll assume your main is similar, so you're a good boy :p
I do have a downvote of a few cents yeah, but i can't do anything against your upvote for example ;)
That's not what is happening. If it were, and you posted about it, you would have a useful contribution (though of course everyone would have already recognized the issue most likely)
Someone who votes for good content whether produced by self or by others is not doing any harm whatsoever. Likewise someoen who votes for good self-produced content that is also supported by others is doing no harm.
Your own statistics show that self-voting is awarding about 8.5% of the reward pool. I don't find that suggestive of any problem whatsoever. It is probably a very reasonable number given that the current parameters give people 10 full power votes to make per day. Thus one is being applied to the voters' own content and nine to others' (on average, of course). Seems fine.
I have no 'alt' accounts (in the sense of accounts run by me to interact on the site and which hide my identity; there are several accounts for things like internal market trading but they all have my name in them). I don't know who runs randomwhale which likes to vote for me. It is not me.
Again, this may be viewed as a reminder to please avoid witch hunts and demonizing people without a full understanding of what is going on.
I agree, 8.5% is not that problematic at all. It's just the principle that's important. The few problematic abusers and the incentive problems in the protocol are the problem.
I have a pretty good understanding of what's going on. I don't want to demonize or shame anyone. I don't even care about the names. I impulsively released the list this way, i guess i could have done it differently, but in general we should just face the truth, no matter how harsh it is sometimes.
By the way, there are enough rumors about who's running Randowhale ;)
EDIT: oh oops you said randomwhale, yeah no idea.
I haven't cared to pay attention.