I don't feel any animosity towards bot use, per se, but it does bother me to see so many heated discussions around it for the simple reason that it makes the platform look bad.
I'm not so sure this is actually an issue. It's well understood that Steem(it) is in the crypto-sphere and heated debates on what is essentially governance and culture is to be expected, or even encouraged. When things get nasty it's not nice obviously, but there are plenty here on most topics (definitely not all) with moderate voices such as yours, calling for sense at the end of the day.
To be honest the spirit of lively debate and industriousness of people here has been the thing that has kept me coming back. It was by getting involved in these discussions that I got anywhere on this platform at all, and probably some contributions and timing.
What I think actually looks bad is obviously low quality posts getting super high rewards. This is doubled edged. The average person sees that "deserving" posts are undervalued and it's all about the in group, which they have no access to, so why bother posting. The scammers see this and thing, wow, if only I can figure out how to push up any garbage I can get some of that coin.
All in all, I always back calling for civility. But the free dynamism here cannot be tamed! What I would propose on top of this is inviting people into the conversations, if they want to. I also predict that if the platform really matures these more or less technical and cultural issues will take up less and less bandwidth as people really settle into "doing". That all depends on how things shake out, especially to do with hard forks and big money coming in or going out.
Also the irony is not lost on me of arguing about an argument for less arguing 😂
That's a good point that I'm in agreement with. Guess I'm just ready for that day now. From day 1 of joining I've been "doing" more than debating and it's the main reason, I've been on the sidelines of these debates. I'm just too busy building and engaging in communities that have interests other than talking about Steemit all the time. As interesting as the platform is, I think it appeals to people who are already on it, not the people we one day hope to reach and invite to join us.
Hahahaha! It's not lost on me either. It is the first time I've said anything about the issue and I guess I am just ready to move on and talk about other things. People have been getting pretty mean to each other while defending their positions and I feel it reflects poorly on the platform as a whole.
One of the things I like about Steemit is people are generally nicer to each other here than on other platforms. It's a bit more like how people really interact in the real world. But seeing people lose their civility over certain discussions saddens me. Enough is enough. Like you said, we should get on with the business of "doing".
Agreed, but always tempered by the need for at least some to discuss the platform problems of the day. I do like it better when things "just work" but on a big (hopefully soon to be massive) ecosystem like Steem nothing works for everyone all the time, and that will always spur debate.
As they say, Steem on!