Promotion using votes to buy rewards isn't a sustainable model. This isn't a matter of insiders vs. not insiders, it is something that many stakeholders have recognized and no longer support (though not with 100% agreement on specifics, or at all, by any means).
There are other methods of promotion available, including:
- Promotion tab (okay not great, but it is something)
- Contact Steemit (and/or other UIs) to buy ads/sponsored post placement
- Contact Steemit (and/or other UIs) about a community project to request featured post placement
- Use declined rewards/burn, potentially even with bought votes, to discourage downvotes and encourage upvotes (though also possibly without bought votes).
Things change, we move forward, adjustments to practices and strategies are needed.
#2 & #3 have already been attempted, via multiple channels but with no response.
#4 is tough because it's a non-profit so it has to come out of someones pocket. That's usually @raybrockman but I have long said its not fair nor sustainable to expect that to be neccessary.
#1 is basically broken.
So sure, we used the #oldsteem method to get this project some exposure. We did it as a last resort and because other avenues failed.
Not every project is destined to succeed, for a variety of reasons. That't the cold reality of the world. The remedy is fail fast (i.e. assess interest and viability first and if it isn't there, do something else).
I'm sympathetic this time because I'm pretty sure your group really is sincere and trying to something meaningful. Most of the time I just downvote and move on, and I'm pretty sure other downvoters are more and more going to do the same, because engaging in a debate about every downvote (which, while now free, are still not rewarded in any way) is tedious.
I appreciate that there is cold hard reality at play and I'm generally not one to try and hold back the tide. I agree with the fail fast mentality, however this project is into it's 3rd year so I think the lack of support this year is probably more related to the crypto bear market and the decline of the STEEM platform itself rather than it being a bad idea on its own.
Thank you for stepping up to help with this project.
Fair enough. I didn't know it was three years old. Wishing the best. The crypto bear market does put a lot of stress on many worthy projects.
respect