The badge icon idea is great! Like that!
Promoted post
Then everybody knows that it's been a "bought position". Also people who don't want to upvote promoted content, may avoid allocating their upvotes on these marked blog posts.
A badge would require a change of the UI design, correct?
Yep, but relative easy to do.
If we give more power to our promoted section and the same time use a badge, then the majority would prefer to throw SBDs to get promoted that way instead of buying delegation... The same time the SBDs would raise the value of all STEEM holders and not only the pockets of individuals that happens to have a lot of power.
EXACTLY!
Ah OK now I got it. You'd like to re-activate the already existing Promoted section in order to weaken the vote trade industry? Smart move :-)
Time to copy @sneak and @vandeberg here, just in case they'd like to consider some of the ideas.
Yep, invite them ;)
This might be a golden idea right here. what better way for visibility than to increase the value of Steem. This can solve the whole vote buying issue.
We have @transparencybot for total bids over $50 now - but you need to look into the post.
Also, a keen eye and using the bottracker webpage as reference, it's pretty easy to spot a bought post.
Less so with vote-selling now in the frame, but a check in the wallet of the post owner will clarify.
I wish I could resteem this!