Hey @slobberchops, I was thinking about posting something akin to what you wrote. I noticed that too: gaining between 5 and 10 new followers every time I post... It started happening this week I think, because before that I was gaining followers "organically". And they indeed have just a few posts, links to youtube videos, and never upvote anything.
Bots indeed, but I am wondering if these bots were created to artificially increase the number of active users on steemit. There have been many posts lately discussing the gap between total users and active users. It is huge.
So, were they created to boost these numbers? If so, who does that?
Also I have a question: does the number of followers have any influence on the reputation? My guess is "no" but I am not sure...
As you mentioned it started last week, and now every time I post I get more 'crap' followers. I wish I had answers, but it seems nobody has any idea. I wanted to get the message across, and it seems you have noticed it too.
The reputation system does not have a bearing on the number of followers you have.