Reward pool abuse on Steem is textbook case of the tragedy of the commons.

Because there is a common pool Steem will always attract con men until effective policing is established. EIP was a good first step.

Has it crossed anybody's mind that @ocdb and @curangel are centralized solutions, albeit strictly based on voluntarism? Only in combination with the EIP and over a combined five million SP delegated were they able to effect tangible changes to the widespread abuse that went on here.

Both projects are fantastic as you could say they are a primitive form of the community asserting structure and discipline. With their massive downvoting capabilities, they are the town sheriff putting a stop to the ongoing robberies. @ocdb is also the curation project with the furthest reach. Without it, a great many quality content producers would've been left empty-handed. Ditto for @curangel.

I think mass adoption will only happen on Steem when the Wild West has been civilized through force first. I must say to have been a part of an experiment like this has been exhilarating. A test subject an an observer at the same time.