RE: A solution to the downvoting/flagging problems on Steemit
@baah, this seems like a really viable path forward, if anyone is listening.. and I sincerely hope they do.
You're exactly right about flagging having a negative name-- in broad Internet terms it has to do with abuse/cheating not the value of content.
To extend what you're saying here... if we could only get to a point where the flagging/downvoting power rests in the hands of only trustworthy ACTIVELY CURATING community members, that would help a lot. Maybe it could even work in a similar way to how we currently vote for witnesses... so we could also cast votes (AND withdraw them!) for a slate of "Community Curation Managers" and that power rests only with them.
As for the protests of "stake holders," it seems everyone has (conveniently) forgotten what an "investment" actually is. When you buy stock in a company, all you're buying is the opportunity to benefit from gains in the company's stock value... you are not buying some "magical rights" to be paid dividends or income... and in most conventional investment projects you're subject to "1 share, 1 vote" limits. Steemit is not a company that "hired" anyone to do a "job;" and nobody was promised a "salary."
That could work but the downside which I mentioned with any committee is that the individuals cannot handle the ever growing community. The ones on the committee could be rewarded for flags and such to incentivize their efforts but this can also lead to abuse, as can any position of power.
I think a viable way is to allow the community to do the policing, the only problem is that our current tools are ineffective at dealing with collusive power, griefing and gang stalking like I mentioned. There is no reason why downvotes shouldn't drain the voting power by 10x more than an equal upvote, as they aren't to be used extensively and are negative actions overall.