RE: Open letter to @trafalgar and the rest of the community about bidbots
I’ve expressed my discontent about downvotes in a room full of people who should have cared only to receive comments back to this effect: “Where did the whale touch you?” because, I guess in their world, getting molested is “funny” or getting robbed is. These folks who get their jollies off on being the reward poolice of the platform will sink the value of their stake by driving off original content creators that try to find their audience with the use of bid bot services. I’ll feel just as sympathetic towards them when they lose their entire investment as they did towards me when I railed against the ridiculous nature of downvoting.
I’ve learned that content publishing is down by about 30% since the last hard fork, the atmosphere is getting thin on this platform, and if they don’t do a course correction before the next BTC surge, people will bolt for the exit as that occurs. I like your alternative solutions; they make a lot more sense than trying to coerce people into unnatural behavioral traits. I can only imagine that these types of downvote heroes are the ones who put bricks through the windows of SUVs “because the environment” all while they tune into the speeches of international jet setters whose carbon footprint dwarf’s that of their entire family line.
The blockchain has reached the popularity level of Audi’s green police. They got two options: Live and let live, by allowing capitalists to take from the pool what their stake allows them too. Or chase them off and learn the hard way that bad news travels twice as fast as good news. The effect of the latter is that less capital will venture in this general direction. Why invest in steem, when you can invest in bitcoin or any other crypto headache-free?
With solutions like the three you suggested, it would give people a reason to invest, while the commie downvote hero mentality will be the death knell of the platform. I mean it won’t “die-die” but stick around and fester like black mold. Fewer rewards plus more downvotes are horrible for not only the morale of the platform but also the content creators too. However, it makes some people feel empowered. (ツ)_/¯
Normal market activity: Upvote with your dollar/SP.
Normal market activity: Stop upvoting with your dollar/SP.
Abnormal (aberrant) activity: Intentionally causing harm.
It's like their fine with steem dying... Makes no sense. Maybe they just don't have the brains to make steem profitable enough for them? Disgusting.
Because of rampant market speculation, BTC was overvalued, this created a lot of false expectations in other cryptos like Steem. So, Steem holders who did not sell at the peak $12.00 are kicking themselves and looking at ways to "fix" Steem’s value. However, the truth of the matter is; the current valuation is the more realistic one, and as painful as that is to folks, it’s nothing to scoff at.
What they're doing now is trying to shake up the applecart, and artificially boost Steem's value in an attempt to draw in potential investors by convincing stakeholders to reverse-curate. They are pushing from the top down a culture for #newsteem, one where people are encouraged to engage in rampant downvoting as a reckless attempt to "save" the platform.
In essence, their approach is: "If it doesn't fit, force it, and If it breaks, it was meant to be replaced anyway." when in fact they should have gone with the tried and true adage that: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." That's not to say there's no middle ground, but the problem with downvoting content is that it's unnatural market behavior. It has no real-world parallels and only serves to chase off content creators and would-be investors alike.
As you illustrated in your post, a more logical solution to the problem of trending is to overhaul it in new and creative ways. Your idea is so much more productive than trying to manipulate the entire platform into becoming assholes. But hey, let's let'em fux and fiddle with shit, stick around and watch Rome burn. I'm sure there's some entertainment value that can be derived from that.
psshh...
All I can say is that I'm glad I'm not pot committed here. I mean, I love the platform and the creativity that it can draw from people. But at a certain point, you've got to ask yourself at what cost. How is it changing your behavior? Is this a healthy behavior? I won't be drawn into the negative aspects of this platform, but I sure as shit will call it as I see it. And those people who can't quite bring to words the uneasy feeling that #newsteem brought to them, will hopefully have some clarity for their sense of unease after having read posts like yours here, and the comments that it has inspired.