people pay for stuff on here? Really?
Good luck getting anything out of me to resteem or upvotge my posts. (my Scottish heritage it way too strong).
As for voting bots.... I wonder if I cold make a bot hunter that seeks them out and destroys them. That sounds like a fun project.
The problem with Steemit, and all the other platforms before it and after it, is that they work perfectly fine and are totally fair, until you let the people in.
And then they do things you don't want them to do, never considered they would or could do. And then everyone is demanding that you fix it.
How do you fix the problem as a programmer when the problem is not the program - it's the people?
SUPER SCARY suggestion (this will get me flagged into oblivion) - how about some centraised control and accountability in the form of Steemit.com.
Have actual rules for engaging int he platform and if you break those rules you get kicked off the platform. No bots allowed (apart from the likes of cheeta).
At the moment, as you pointed out, we have centralized control - but no accountability. The only way to make this work is to add the accountability layer.
Oh yes, I know it's all too hard, people can have multiple accounts, yada yada yada. That's a cop-out. It can be done and done well, if those that want Steemit to succeed put in the effort to make it happen.
We have all seen that as a totally free uncontrolled platform, it doesn't work (for anyone who is not a whale), so change it.
Or is some arbitrary notion of freedom for some, more important than success for all?
[no bots were used in the making of this comment]