The Pros and Cons of Auto-Voting (Steemit Strategies)
I have received a few comments lately expressing concern about posts that have received 50+ votes but only 3-5 views. This appears to be a flaw in the Steemit ecosystem. How can someone receive votes when it is obvious that the person who is voting never even read the post?
The simple answer is that the UPVOTER set up an auto-voting rule that is being executed.
Auto-voting is a tool that is available to anyone in the Steemit community. I do not see this tool as inherently good or bad. I am more concerned about the intentions of the person who is using the tool.
Let's look at some PROS and CONS for auto-voting posts.
CONS OF AUTO-VOTING
It appears that there is a disconnect between voting and engagement.
When we see that someone has upvoted a post and there does not seem to be proof that the person engaged the post on any level, we start to question the writer and the upvoter.
It is natural for us to want to reward people and be rewarded for quality work. We are often offended when someone is rewarded without merit.
It seems that the voter is taking a lazy approach to engagement.
Wow! That guy or gal is not even taking the time to read a post. He or she is letting the computer take over and do all of the hard work.
We start to ask questions like "Who does he think he is?" and "Does she think she can get away with that?"
We question the person's intentions on what we see at the moment, without examining all the information that lead up to the moment.
PROS FOR AUTO-VOTING
You can become a patron of someone's work.
I believe that the single most important reason why someone chooses to auto-vote is that they can support the work of another person. I have two people who have consistently voted for my posts - @xervantes and @worldclassplayer. Because each vote occurs at the same time after posting and is the same percentage of upvote every time, I have concluded that they have set me up as an auto-vote rule.
Auto-voting is significant to me. I know that at least two people are choosing to support me and my Steemit blog. It seems that at some point in the past these incredible Steemians saw something in me that they wanted to support on an ongoing basis. That is encouraging and that helps me press on daily!
Auto-voting allows you to support Steemit communities.
I think the best example of this is @curie. The @curie account looks for great content to support. And when they make a recommendation via an upvote there are many other accounts that follow. All of this is done through auto-voting set up as a part of trails.
I personally participate in two other communities that do something similar - @qurator and @steemengine. When I get an upvote from either account, I notice that several people within those communities upvote my post as well.
Auto-voting can be a great way to increase curation awards.
Ok, so this might make you feel a bit icky, but a lot of people are on Steemit to get a return on their investment. Investors are a part of our community, and we are stronger for it.
Investors follow the voting patterns of great curation accounts like @curie because they know that @curie does great work and they can get a great reward by following her upvotes.
Because the technology is in place, investors can get a return on investment without ever reading the post. The investor must be able to trust the curation account that he or she follows.
Tips For Auto-Voting
I hope I have made a case for auto-voting. It is not for everyone, but it does serve a need for many of us. If you are considering auto-voting think about the following recommendations.
- Find an auto-voting service that you can trust. You will have to share your private posting key with that service so make sure you can trust them.
- When following the voting patterns of curation accounts, I recommend that you start with smaller percentages and increase later if needed. Remember that curation accounts might be voting for 50 plus post each day.
- Re-evaluate your auto-voting strategy. This is not a set it and forget it kind of strategy. You should evaluate regularly if an account is worth auto-voting. If not, then stop auto-voting for that account.
- Realize that if you auto-vote at a small percentage you will not be able to manually upvote later a larger percentage. Actually, you can, but you will need to remove the auto-vote first because upvoting manually.
Auto-Voting with Steem Voter.
I am not endorsing Steem Voter. As always, before you start using any internet service always be sure to investigate first. I am not providing advice on this matter, but rather sharing my experience.
- Set up a main Steem Voter account (SteemVoter.com)
- Click the Add Account button to set up a new Steemit account. You can set up multiple accounts if you like.
- Click the Rules button to edit or create rules.
Final Thoughts
Think about how you might want to support on an ongoing basis!
It is a privilege to serve your all. I hope that my posts speak to you and help you with what you are facing today.
I appreciate your continued support through upvotes and comments, and it would be an honor if you decided to auto-vote my posts. I hope that I provide value in such a way that you would consider auto-voting for me.
Auto-voting is not necessary GOOD or BAD. It is how we use it that determines whether or not we add value or take it away!
@SumatraNate
Image Source:
- https://pixabay.com/en/right-wrong-button-thumbs-up-1712994/
- Screenshot from my Steem Voter account
- Screenshot from my Steem Voter account
You got a 4.13% upvote from @postpromoter courtesy of @sumatranate!
Want to promote your posts too? Check out the Steem Bot Tracker website for more info. If you would like to support the development of @postpromoter and the bot tracker please vote for @yabapmatt for witness!
Hey @sumatranate, this is an good topic for some debate. I use Steem Voter and yes, you are one of the authors that I automatically upvote. I changed my upvote strategy for what now seem like a long time ago. The main reason was that I felt I was wasting my upvotes. You see, I found that I was not able to effectively spread my upvotes around because of time constraints and time zone differences so a lot of my potential upvotes went to waste. But voting on an author who is constant in posting quality content and automating that process is a more efficient way of using my available upvotes. I often make changes, add authors that I find have good posts or remove authors.
It is my way of supporting authors that I believe add something extra to the platform. All the authors that I automatically upvote are constant in producing quality posts (like this one) and because their posts get automatically upvoted I don't have to worry whether that author submits a post when I am at work or asleep. Only thing that I have to do is review the post when I am in a position to do so.
Case in point: I have been a little under the weather for the past 3 days and haven't been able to post or upvote, normally without Steem Voter my votes would have been wasted but now the authors I have on Steem Voter get their upvotes anyway.
@xervantes, thanks for adding to this conversation. I really appreciate how you have supported me in a variety of ways.
I feel your pain about leaving used upvotes. I feel guilty for not using them, but do not like to force an upvote for the sake of upvoting. I still need to work on my auto-voting strategy so that I can maximize my opportunities to support others.
I knew you lived across the pond, but I had not thought about how time zones impact our ability to support other content creators. Thanks for bringing up that point.
And in regards to your last point, if we need to step away from Steemit or forced to do so because of an unexpected event auto-voting keeps supporting others.
This indeed is a great topic of debate! Keep pressing forward and keep Steeming!
Excellent follow-up post! While I do think that being a patron of content creators is important, the auto-voting mechanics invite abuse by individuals who create multiple accounts. The unscrupulous profiteering members of the Steemit community who post crap articles and initiate an upvoting circle jerk erode the quality of this platform....
Thanks for the comment. I see your point, but I want to press back a little bit. There are so many aspects of the Steemit community that can and are being used by people to manipulate the system. That is the beauty and curse of Steemit. We have freedom, and unfortunately, many people do not use that freedom to bless others.
We have the power to downvote and flag content that we "feel" is abusing the system. Of course, these powers can be used in a wrong way as well.
I plan to add auto-voting to my Steemit strategy, but I use it to support content creators that add value to our community.
Thanks for stopping by. Glad we can have a civil conversations about a challenging topic.
I like your approach to topics you cover, as well as debates, comments, and various points of view. Very balanced, fair, and articulate. Look forward to seeing more of your work!
Solid info for newbies. I believe auto voting has more pros than cons. Those in my circle who auto vote my work do it from a patronage perspective- strictly to support my work because they believe in me or my message.
Of course there will be those who abuse the system, of course, as with anything. But from what I have noticed, abusers tend to fall out of the community or are pushed out before too long...
Thanks for the confirming words. I appreciate it. I fully believe that auto-voting is a great way to support from a patronage perspective.
We sometimes forget the power we have as individuals and collectively. We can guide people to use these tools in a proper way and discipline them if they do not. Thanks for adding to the conversation!
I agree, they can serve a valuable purpose. It's hard to make sure you use all of your voting power consistently, and if it doesn't get used, it's wasted. I would hope that all users would do it responsibly, with content they do engage with, however. The purpose of the vote is to encourage quality content the voter believes builds the platform. For those that do it a lot, or site unseen, I'd challenge them to take the time to really support those content creators. If you're going to autovote someone, surely, that's valuable enough content to deserve your time and comments as well. I have a few myself. But, they also stop by and comment on my posts from time to time.
Thanks for adding to the conversation. It is important to keep the connection growing through comments as well. And I agree that reciprocating is important too!
I see auto-voting as a single tool that helps make up the tool box (an overall, responsible strategy).
I would agree with that, whole, heartedly. I'm torn, though, on whether to offer it to my readers in any direct way, since many don't even know they can do it. I'm not a huge fan of automated interaction, the whole platform is becoming bots upvoting bots.
Hello! Lovely post. I too find pros and cons for the auto voting. I have a few reasons why I auto vote a little bit.
First off, I use steem auto, because it has a few feautres that I like.
I auto vote certain people because I KNOW they make good quality content, and I do not have all the time in the world to check their blogs everyday either. I want to support them on their journies and help them grow, and I would not be able to do so to such an extent without auto voting! I do of course stop by and read their posts every week or so, and they do not always get a vote if my VP is low, but most of the time I just have faith that they have quality content and my steem power is put to good use.
Although i also do a lot of manual curation, I also follow some trails too just to support them. I am only passively interested in rewards, if I get them great! If not, no big deal.
What I think the biggest PRO about auto voting is for WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME!!! I have a bunch of Steem Powa, but what is the point of it if it is not being used? In the summertime I will not be on the computer half as much as I am in the winter, and without autovoting that Steem Powa I so carefully cultivated will be wasted!
That is why come summertime I am going to be auto voting even more for trusted curation trails and trusted content creators. It is a service to the Steemit ecosystem that I use my Steem Power for good, and it is also a service when I engage and comment as well. One must find balance!
Anyways, thanks for the food for thought! Keep it up!
You bring up so many great points:
And as your last line says, FIND BALANCE! I think that finding a balanced strategy is key. Thanks for stopping by and adding to the conversation.
Yeah, steemauto has an awesome feature that pauses your trails and stuff when you get to a certain level of SP. Super useful.
I am glad you enjoyed my point haha, balance really is key... with nearly everything!
I just started autovoting as a way to support my friends who I know for a fact create quality content. I don’t want to miss helping them just because I’m busy when they post and I may not catch it. I also follow reputable curation trails like @thesteemengine and @curie. In fact, I have you on my list of auto upvotes, but this post wasn’t upvoted so I need to look into that. Thanks for the info!
Wow! It is an honor to be on your auto-vote list. I really appreciate how you have interacted with my Steemit blog. I always appreciate genuine engagement.
Great job on making a plan to support others. Thanks for your continued support.
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Thanks for the continued support. So glad to be apart of the Steem Engine community!
Same for me. I have also noticed more people are following me in the last two months. Back in December I had under 2k followers- today over 2600. SO I added more than 600 followers. I joined Qurator back in October anda steem engine about 2 months ago.
@goldenddawne, I have enjoyed being apart of both of these communities. I met you because of those connections. Congrats on growing your following! 600 new followers is a great accomplisment.
As much as I appriciate the monitary payout on posts with more upvotes than views, there’s an excitement in knowing that someone read my material and found it worthy of an upvote that they could have given to someone else. When I check on my posts, I always compare the number of views to the number of votes.
I think that it is good to know the ratio of view to votes. I also like to know the ratio of votes to payouts.
For me, these types of information help us make strategies for how to move forward on Steemit. For example, it was really cool when consistently reached an average of $0.10 per vote on my posts.
I think that growing the quality of our followers is just as important as growing the number of followers.
I really appreciate your input on this topic. I appreciate how you have consistenly interacted with my posts.
I appreciate the consistently good posts you write! :)
Thanks. I appreciate the kind words.