RE: The Sustainability of Steem - Is Freemium Broken?
Which issue is that? An app who excludes Promoted Content? There is a enormously GIANT difference between Promoted posts and posts promoted through bidbots, if an app excludes promoted posts it doesn't make it worse OR better, and the incentives for including Promoted content is that the content promoted sustainably isn't excluded by the app for no reason what so ever.
The point I made previously was that if steemit changed the homepage to the promoted page it will drive the demand to occupy the top spot on the promoted page. To me that seems elementary, which is why I wanted to know how and why that idea doesn't make sense and why or how it won't bring value, none of which is explained by your example or the issue of what other apps are doing.
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If an app excludes promoted posts it makes it better -> less paid spam.
WRT: changing the steem homepage to promoted posts.
Yes, it would make promoted posts more attractive, but it doesn't make steemit more attractive to users. If a new user coming first sees promoted posts and then has to click to get trending or their own feed then that's a turn off.