RE: Ep 4 of 4 - Upvote Bots and the Future : Interview with a Top Curie Curator @carlgnash.
@doctorcrypto @carlgnash, really enjoyed the whole series... it gives me a sense of comfort to see that there still is a strong "content based" population on Steemit.
(I'm going to toss an upvote at each segment, but I'll limit my comments to this one...)
I've been doing the "content-for-rewards" gig since 1999... and this same story seems to play out, over and over.... and even though each new platform claims to have the "secret sauce" to make theirs the one that's the exception, every single one seems to go TU.
There are always the same two groups of opposing forces:
Short Term money vs. Long Term investing
Content Creators vs. Money Makers
Of course, those are gross generalities... but I'm sure you get the picture. And you probably already recognize it. But it always turns out the same... the short term/make money group threaten "The Goose that Lays Golden Eggs." And it's tough. Carl, you talked about how it's bred into us to reach for the short term carrot... and VERY few people are able to recognize that "$100 a month for life" is actually a LOT more money than "I give you $1000 right NOW!"
I do have a soft spot for @curie... I think maybe it was my 3rd or 4th post here that got a huge boost-- which was awesome-- but I'm otherwise one of those weirdos who lives on 100% "organic" content; everything in this account was built through interaction and manual curation.
This is all a complex issue, but on the whole I agree 100% that paid upvote bots have the potential to cause Steemit to cave in, unless something is done.
I have no issues with mega whales wanting to make money, but why can't they rent our their 100K SP delegation blocks to known manual curators rather than to sketchy upvote bot services? Heck, even with 20K SP, I could do a lot of good... and so could a lot of other people who both read and create content, every day.
And then there is the darker shadow that looms... does STINC even care much about the Steemit front end? Or is this just a sort of glorified sandbox for the greater scheme of taking over the world through SMTs? Sometimes I feel like we're not getting so much attention, here... which I bring up because I feel that would be a huge MISTAKE, since Steemit is basically the "mouthpiece" for all other Steem projects... and if the mouthpiece "wilts" and becomes a hoarse whisper... wouldn't that doom pretty much the entire show?
Anyways, I will stop rambling now... good show, enjoyed it!
All great points.
I think a whale delegation to @carlgnash s @humanbot project would cause some good ripples in the pond.(or any other curation project for that matter)
There will always be someone trying to milk the system unfortunately. Letting it ruin the system is the problem and there are quite a few people trying to figure it out right now. Let's hope the solution comes before it's too late.
Thanks for commenting!
I really have to say kudos for this prescient comment. I have been online since the 1980s, and everything you say here about other platforms is spot on. It's so true I long ago gave up on them, and even social media.
Steemit has potential to be different, which is why I bother having an account here. The indications are presently that the inexperience of the whales with creating a market for their currency is causing them to fail miserably at creating that market, and instead concentrate as much of the token as possible in their own wallets in competition with each other.
You point out that these guys are milking the platform for a couple grand a month, but destroying millions of dollars of value in their wallets by killing the platform, and I agree. All they seem to be able to realize is that they don't have to fill out TPS reports anymore, and all the n00bs suck up to them, so they're just living in the moment.
There is no vision, no attempt to graduate Steemit - or themselves - to the next level.
I really hope you are at the Steempanel this weekend, as your experience and lucidity might offer the only hope Steemit has of reversing this dive into the mass grave of misfit creator reward sites.
Thanks!
Hey really nice to meet you here @denmarkguy and thanks for the thoughtful comment. Yeah these general issues are not unique to Steem and will undoubtedly follow humanity into future endeavors as well. What gives me hope about Steem is that it is decentralized enough, and there are enough cool people here, that real change can and does happen relatively quickly here. People can identify a problem and have the tools in front of them to create a solution all within the basic mechanisms of the blockchain. It is all a two-edged sword. People can use that freedom and these tools to scam and scheme and wheedle or they can use them to create and love and share. It is my honor to contribute to Steem the gift economy, not Steem the paid-upvote economy.