Since you are an investigative journalist perhaps you can look deeper into this...
A similar situation happened to me and is happening to others. In my case false accusation of "copy and paste" plagiarism and a whole conspiracy theory build around "draining the reward pool". In any case, people who have just got on Steemit and who barely post feel a need to spend hours downvoting or diminishing people who have been posting consistently for over a year. It is becoming a toxic environment and nothing is really gained by it.
What exactly could my accuser have gained? Was the goal to get me to post less frequently? Or did they just think I'm being rewarded too much? I don't know, but they never approached me about my posts until after months of conspiring in secret with blogs accusing me of stuff.
For the record, anyone is free to read my blog and let me know what you think. Do you think it's all "copy paste" bs or what? My accuser needed no evidence at all but it still has a negative effect on the rate of my follower growth which has slowed down since.
Btw you now have a new follower @sarahabed
References
- Article from accuser: https://steemit.com/writing/@cmoljoe/my-complain-about-auto-votes-on-example-of-dana-edwards-and-why-are-auto-votes-killing-steemit
- [FALSE ACCUSATION 1] https://steemit.com/copy-paste/@cmoljoe/making-money-with-copy-paste-articles-from-member-with-72-reputation-should-everybody-do-that-2017918t17464558z
- My blog: https://steemit.com/@dana-edwards
Hey Dana, I took a quick look at one of your posts.. and the article from your "accuser". I am not familiar with the ins and outs of bots to really give a solid opinion. I think steemit can be a frustrating place for most and only some people have a really in-depth understanding of it and are able to make it work. No one should be upset at anyone else for having figured it out.
I don't have any control of the bots that vote for me or don't so why should I be blamed as if I did something? The bots is a separate issue though. Bots always have existed on Steemit from the beginning but the secret to long term success on a platform like this is relationships with other people and followers. These bots if they vote me up are due to my relationships with others or because I was consistent at posting high quality over an extended period of time.
Without the quality of relationships and the follower base, Steemit wouldn't have much to offer. Sure it can offer monetary rewards but it's crypto and those kinds of rewards exist in other places at least for some of us. I'll continue following your posts, and keep posting good content because over time you'll develop a rapport and reputation (which is what actually matters).
Followed you too.. earlier.. just forgot to mention it :-). Thank you for the advice. Glad we crossed paths, keep up the great work.