That's one of the first things that I noticed after speaking with one of the guild members and seeing the first update post. Then I realized why I was hearing some of the grumblings behind the scenes. It was just a poor decision in general to make that the "payment" structure and to continue it, especially coming from the CEO of Steemit and the things that had transpired last fall and the recent issues with Dan's flagging. It just doesn't look good - and perception is reality, unfortunately.
It doesn't look good because it isnt good. And it really never has been.
At the end of the day, whether its an automated "bot list" or "featured author/hidden gems" or steem sports (old version) or whatever, the problem is that its a redistribution and management scheme where the redistributors take most of the money.