Hi there @candianrenegade!

I had very similar thoughts about the promoted section and it's lack of effectiveness leading to the popularity of upvote bots.

Since I have posted this, there have been many Steemians who highlighted to me how they had similar ideas on the matter! It seems like it is a conclusion that many of us regular users can see, but is often hard to see from the top as they do not experience the platform quite the same way we do.

I think you nailed the majority of the points I would have made if I wrote an article but overall you were much more thorough

Thank you very much! I tried to nail it in as hard as possible, in hopes of getting as positive a response to see something actually take flight and implementation. However, as of right now it doesn't seem like I've managed to draw enough attention to be honest.

I know it is too late, I would have resteemed this. I'll do my best to send people this way because it is something that needs to be seen.

Thank you very much for spreading the word! I am still at odds with how I will ever see this implementation come to light. I have written a sort of updated version to this proposal if you're interested :

Steemit Advertising Platform : Growth Internally and Externally

As well as 2 other interface level changes for the better good of Steemit :

Curation Lists : Curation with The Power of The Swarm

3 Simple, Yet Impactful Implementations for Users Profile Page

Thank you for dropping by and for your much appreciated positive feedback! Cheers!