UPVOTE BOTS!! - A Moral Dilema?
Does using a up-vote bot constitute a sell-out of one’s fair-minded principles?
This was my dilemma. I say ‘was’ but I’m not too sure I have resolved my stance on the matter completely.
I have read many posts that postulate the argument on each side of the moral debate, yet even those suggesting that using upvote bots fly in the face of offering a level playing field, they too openly admit it is a case of ‘when in Rome.’
It is easy to understand. After all, It’s the driving force behind any social platform - being noticed, and we all want our heart-felt posts or newly released song to be seen by as many people as possible, and hopefully commented upon.
I guess I am a little too new here to really deeply understand the nuances of the entire debate. But I would say if I tuned into how it feels to pay to have a post elevated above somebody else (who perhaps doesn’t have the financial clout to do likewise) ‘feels’ off.
Now that’s as far as I would like to go for the moment.. its just feel ‘off’ .. to me, personally.
I am not well versed enough to go into the whys and wherefores of the reward pool and its distribution, but my rudimentary understanding is that the use of bots is mainly controlled by those with deeper pockets (Could be wrong) and hence their use further adds to the uneven distribution of steem.
But aside from all these kind of debates, you know there is a salient test that always puts our decisions or actions under the moral microscope, namely – how would it feel if you were the one who was affected negatively as a result of the action you intend?
We all have this internal guidance system, and yes, we all have the ability to over-ride it (often with what we call ‘a reasoned opinion')
But the heart knows what the mind would love to disregard.
So, what to do? New music just off the presses, fresh posts awaiting an eager audience, and a few Steem backed dollars itching to be put to good use….. Can you hear that heart?
I love steemit, I love the idea behind it. I love the intended ethic and drive of fairness and inclusiveness at its very heart. The reality is beginning to 'feel' somewhat different.
I like this post because it's has a good anfomatoin
With all respect.
"anfomatoin" should be information.
Peace
#daemon-nice
Thanks for sharing and I am completely identified with your dilemma..!
Personally I do not use them, I think it's cheating and this is not what we want as a community...upvote and resteem..!
I agree my Venezuelan friend. The best way to build Steemit, I believe is the upvoting of quality posts.
Peace
#daemon-nice
Thanks bro..!
Yes that's about where i am with it, thank you for your input.
Well I'm hardly seasoned but I do find it all a bit odd.
I experimented with a few bots as I like to learn about things by actually doing them and then forming an opinion.
I have come across bots that allow you to simply use a command to get a free upvote once a day so it's available to everyone but doesn't hold that much value.
But it all seems like a waste of time and a bit pointless to me.
In the long run surely everyone will do better if they spend the time curating good quality content and supporting those that they admire too?
I am part of a community of musicians and that's exactly what we do - upload our songs to dsound once a day, listen, upvote, resteem.
I find that a lot more rewarding too!
Sounds like good advice, think i will add my voice to that musical collective.
It's advertising, you pay the bot to get you more views, I think it's a bit silly because once people figure that out everyone should be using them. I dislike them, but have used them with minimal success as far as getting new views. Not sure how I feel overall, though they do seem to actually make you money which is odd to me that we should be able to do that.
Yeah, it is a strange steemit world, I guess it goes back to the fact we focus on what we are driven to do and stick with it . thanks for your thoughts
You asked a question which I myself have been giving some consideration to. Like you, I really like Steemit, I like the idea of a decentralized community and that is what I am here to do. Take part in building a community and not just any community but one whose values are in the right place. Bots do not have values.
My method of building a community is to create quality posts that share my contrarian views in a respectful and openly accepting way and that also create conversations. Which, if I am honest, at this point is not as successful as I like, though also not so bad that I am going to give up on it. What I can say is, though I am not getting the conversations that I sought, I am gaining 2-3 followers daily since I came back after a long hiatus. Followers with no strings attached, such as asking me to follow them, which, if that is how you respond to one of my posts, I definitely will not follow you. I am looking for interesting people to follow, not plebes and celebrity ass kissers or people looking for a cash cow which they might think Steemit is.
I question whether promoting Steemit on the basis of getting paid for your posts is the best approach as it tends to also attract those less concerned with what they can do for, or give to Steemit as much as what they can get out of it.
Back to the bots. What they remind me of is the power of corporate mass media with its ability to promote any propaganda that suits their purpose. I think there may be a place for bots, but I can't say for sure as I do not fully comprehend what they are capable of.
To conclude, the one thing that sticks out in my mind with this subject is; remember Skynet.
Peace
#daemon-nice
I concur with you for sure. Quality content will always be picked up and attract the attention of those interested, maybe not the hoards but certainly those with a willingness to engage.
I too dislike the 'I have upvoted you -follow me' brigade, and most certainly want my feed to be filled with content that really engages me. so thank you for that considered response - skynet? (i should know, but excuse my ignorance)
I am not seasoned but I think the bot usage sucks. Just a while back I set a trap for a well known bot called catfacts the thing kept on posting on the trap post and it made very clear how the people behind it not only were cashing in on posts without ever even reading them but also drowning out other peoples thought out reply's to posts.It's unacceptable this is not a gambling forum where the goal is to hustle money it is a platform that is supposed to be a sharing and discussion space. so I really do not see a dilemma here it is disrespectful and unsavoury behaviour. In fact it is the same kind of behaviour that changed the tone of the internet back in the day and it would be a shame to see it repeat itself here ...
After humans, mountain lions have the largest range of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere.
Well said, I tend to agree, of course. But it is tempting to promote a track you have invested many hours into and know it will get little traffic. Perhaps its about networking - that has to be the way. Thank you for your thoughts... looks like the cats are following you!
I would not call over 300 posts of content not invested ... and my view won't change even if nothing comes of this because it is about morals and personal work ethic.
yeah, that's exactly what I meant. You put your all into it - not just in the creation, but in curation too. We are in the same choir :) ..honest.
This is food for thought! We actually had such a long conversation with my wife about bots yesterday, as we couldn't understand how it works.
So I decided to try it for the first time, and to be honest I am not too sure what to think .
I felt that I had such a nice organic growth in the last month, asking for more would feel almost disrespectful for all the other steemians rowing on their own boat.
At the same time I follow other successful musicians and singer on the platform and they all use bots.
As someone said below, it's an advertising service, I just feel that we reverting back to Facebook by doing so
I have to agree, it feels old school for sure.
Hi Kryptoe, first I wanted to apologise for not reciprocating on the interaction front. I appreciate you taking the time to check out the stuff that I've posted.
I've been here for a little while now and I've played out the argument a number of times. I used to use the upvote bots on pretty much every post and for a little while it felt ok - money for nothing, who could feel bad? I wouldn't say that it ever made me feel terrible but I definitely wondered if it was 'right'
Having spent some time in various group chats and reading up on the economics of steem etc. I started to understand where the problem is with upvote bots:
Reward dilation.
The 'money for nothing' thing doesn't exist because in a fixed reward system it has to come from somewhere and it's everyone elses posts.
Do what you've got to do though, because you may benefit from the extra exposure that appearing in the 'hot' feed for a given tag provides - you don't have to go nuts with it though, around $1-2 should be enough to put you there.
Thanks @elliotgardner for dropping by. Well, it feels like a very slow process without bots, but still enjoying it for the most part. I'm not really down with the chat vibe, but maybe should get more involved there.
Really enjoyed this post. I have gone through the same thought process before. It is quite difficult to get recognized at first without any followers. I have been using bots on my posts, and it has helped me get recognized. It also has helped me find other great accounts like yours, so I feel very mixed about it. My goal is to stop promoting by bots when I reach about 100 followers.
fair comment, not too sure i fully understand the process behind them though I have watched many an instructional video!