Two more questions.
My account was quite small at one point. I actually started with nothing and didn't invest a dime.
What makes you think these smaller accounts have no other option than to use bots?
I noticed many of these spam posts that earn next to nothing are similar to your post here today. Just one picture. No indication of whether it's their photo or free to use or... nothing, just a photo.
How would those 10-20 spam posts with one picture and no words that earn nothing be considered abuse in comparison to this one post of one picture and no words that is now removing over $300 worth or rewards from the pool?
You have been here since Sep 2016, things were very very different back then. I wasn’t around but from what I hear large accounts frequently voted on smaller ones, something that hasn’t happened in a long time. I can’t speak first hand but I have heard it multiple times and from multiple people. Having large $100+ posts (at $0.07 steem) wasn’t impossible for a minnow.
As for the second question, as I spend a lot of time on a daily basis finding spam and abuse there is one rule I follow. I will never blacklist a user based on one post. If I see something I think is spam, plagiarism, or abuse I will look at other posts on the account and look what is their “norm”. Is this a one off post, is it something they do frequently? Only then I will make a ruling on it.
Everyone has a bad post or something many people don’t get, or they forget to cite a source or image, or post a meme from a third party site that they didn’t produce.
It is very difficult because it is very subjective and I tend to be very critical so I have to “hold back” frequently. But I always will judge a user by multiple posts as far back as a few weeks before judging.
Do I think the post is my best work? Absolutely not. It’s a wake up call and a cry for help.
This response doesn't answer my questions, but that's okay.
Also, I don't appreciate how you're trying to tell me things were easy for me. I worked pretty damn hard for what I earned and continue to do so. Downplaying my efforts doesn't sit well with me. You weren't here and you based your response on hearsay. I'm not angry. I do realize that's a common misconception around here, so whatever, I deal with it, it's not the first time I heard it.
You said that.
I suggested you lead by example. You're in a position to do so, so please try. It's a simple request.
Naive new members are misled to believe this post on trending is here because it is popular. Many do not realize this post of yours is on trending because the slot was bought and paid for. They see the money and they want to emulate the effort. One good way to fight:
... is to lead by example. That is why I suggest it.
Now you know why I came here today to get your attention.
I wish you all the best. Thank you for your time. I've upvoted your previous comment 100%, it was the best I could do because I feel time is money and you deserve that at least. There's no hard feelings on this end.
Have a nice day. I'm done here.
I was no means saying you didn't work hard, it wasn't an attack. It was a generalization about a well know fact of Steemit. I was saying you most likely could get a $100 post back then far easier (without bots) than you can now. Back then Steem Power was worth far less, so you gained far more Steem Power for those $100 posts.
Here is an example of your account. You can see the massive difference in Steem Power growth back then. I didn't need to be around back then, the data is all publicly available and easily accessible.
This is exactly my point, that is the story of the entire trending page and how it's always the same people with the same voting circles regardless of the content they produce.
Thanks, I actually appreciated the discussion. It was the point of the post, to create a discussion, it's a lot better than the typical "nice post, upvote follow, vote me" discussion that goes on.
I sent something nice to one of your recent posts.