Yes true upvote4upvote does not work properly in steemit, many newcomers consider it is the fastest path of reputation improvement. But some say that many people who have a good reputation think upvote4upvote is ridiculous, it's just a reason for them to cover the arrogance of their reputation. In fact they used to also practice upvote4upvote. Once they have a good reputation then they leave upvote4upvote and say upvote4upvote is not a good method to increase reputation. But I agree with you, that to build a reputation in steemit is not enough with upvote4upvote, but should be able to sell quality products. Thank you for sharing.