Steemit.com: Clarify Terms Of Service Document Regarding The Use Of Bots On Steem/Steemit
The terms of service document for Steemit.com currently states that it is forbidden to operate bots on Steemit.com services.
17.1. When accessing or using the Services, you agree that you will not commit any unlawful act, and that you are solely responsible for your conduct while using our Services. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, you agree that you will not:
17.1.3. Use any robot, spider, crawler, scraper or other automated means or interface not provided by us to access our Services or to extract data;
Terms of Service Document on Github
Since many bots can currently be seen on Steemit and Steem this is confusing and needs to be clarified. Clarification will ensure peace of mind for all involved.
The license for the Steem code includes the line:
Copyright (c) 2017 Steemit, Inc., and contributors.
Which strongly suggests that Steem is itself owned partially by Steemit Inc. and thus could be said to be a service of Steemit Inc. and thus then that clause 17.1.3. also applies to Steem - making all bots on Steem - such as upvote bots in contravention of the Steemit terms of use document.
Since bots are so prevalent on Steem and there has been no complaint from Steemit Inc. it might be safe to say that the TOS for Steemit.com is not intended to include Steem and is only intended to prohibit bots from accessing the published website at steemit.com - without applying also to Steem itself and the activities carried out on Steem via Steemit.
This is clearly a point of confusion that needs to be clarified in the Terms of Service in order to ensure the highest level of understanding is transmitted to readers of the document - particularly when many are unhappy at the way that posts are being boosted by those with the most financial resources -which arguably does nullify the effective manifestation of the 'proof of brain' concept that features in the Steemit promotional materials. If top positions can be bought by the highest bidder, then we are dealing only with 'proof of wallet' and not 'proof of brain'. Clarification on the official policy regarding these issues will help users know where they stand going forward.
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thanks!
Well without bots, minnows can't grow and get upvotes on quality posts. One of my friends (the one that showed me Steemit) told me to just wrote any kind of posts I want and use the bots to upvote myself until I reach 55+ Reputation and at least 500 followers, because it's a waste of time to try and write quality posts when you are a minnow, no one will upvote your posts because they get lost in the feed 2mins after being posted. He explained me he did the same and showed me that he makes a few votes & bucks each topic he posts, now that he has a higher rep and over 1000 followers. So probably if bots will dissapear minnows will have even lower chances to show their full potential.
As a minnow who has spent a fair amount of time looking at how things work,
I agree with what your friend says, but I disagree 100% with your conclusion! (no offense intended) :-)
Bots are killing steem! and are NOT helping minnows IMHO.
If steem want "engagement" then bots are 100% opposite of that.
If whales have zero time to read & consider content then let them not vote.
At the moment whales help whales because that helps whales (see no mention of minnows!)
Sure without bots maybe less votes are cast, maybe that means slower growth, but it also levels the playing field.
Current MSM is based on a few at the top dictating to the mass population.
That is exactly the current concept whale bot voting is propagating IMHO.
If the "audience" is to decide good / bad and read/unread content that is the model needed.
So "readers" should be rewarded more, but that won't happen while up vote bots exist.
Just my $0.02 worth :-)
Thanks for your comment. I would prefer a level playing field. The white paper for Steemit makes clear that the premise of the system is to 'let the market decide' and that basically any flaws of the kind that bots reveal are flaws in free market capitalism. There would need to be a consensus amongst the steem users to outlaw bots before it would occur I think and even then Steemit Inc. might ignore the request.
I see 'value' in "checking bots".
But the up vote bots, take away the concept of "community engagement" and move power to the big fish / bots.
My view is "authors" can earn by 'selling' in volume
and "consumers" by viewing / consuming.
For every "author" there should be 10 or 100 readers.
That provides a basis for quality content.
Stuff that my grandkids could find value in inheriting.
Do we really want a store of "i ate / did this today" posts?
Do they have "value" just because a bot up voted them?
IMHO "blogging" / posting your meal is so 1990's anyhow (but that is prob off topic) and I see zero value in posting a youtube video with not additional info. Or even a single non descriptive photo.
My point is, what will the value of steem contents be in 2, 5 , 10 years? a pile of nothing or a great resource of art, literature, brainfood ?
In that model maybe 80% of vote value is shared by 'consumers'.
ie the EXACT oppose to the way MSM is run ATM
There are two main threads of participators here - one who seeks to make money from money and one who seeks to socially network and also make money from 'proof of their brain' - as the Steemit whitepaper calls it.
A balance clearly needs to be struck, since without investment of 'money', the value of steem is low and that inhibits growth of the form that you prefer.
My suggestion, based on the principles extolled in the whitepaper is to put forward improvements for the curation system so that upvote bots are not needed since all the best content gets to the top anyway.
I agree, I think the 2 concepts are not mutually exclusive.
The issue in my view is the bots are tipping thing to far one way. This means that new users are leaving (50% in one report I saw) this halts growth of the platform which hurts all.
I think it is the combination of bots + whale power that are the cause of the problem.
I also think bots can be beaten. :-)
We just need minnow to read & support minnows not bots.
The mass in numbers will beat any scripted programming efforts.
Bots become 'useless' in some ways. But educating a "mass" is not easy!
All power imbalance is the result of a few taking it from the many - yes. The issue is getting the many to overcome their divisions to support each other - which takes an evolution of the heart and self. This is the focus I have in life - which is why my own social network is focused primarily on healing, balancing and evolving.
The inherently competitive nature of Steemit is one of the causes of division - so there needs to be a middle way found for mutual support - maybe steemit can become more anarchic than anarcho-capitalist in some ways and then it might really explode!
I followed you here btw.
Thanks.
I'm still trying to understand the "nature" of steemit.
I get the techo part, it's the aims & directions that interest me.
I suspect the 'plan' may be to allow it to just evolve. Darwins theories would suggest that is not a great idea, many 'species' die out!
The great concept that is Steem will be overtaken by another organization if Steemit does not have a clear and generally directed focus.
"self evolution" does not have to be purely organic IMHO
And you dont need necessarily a bot to bosst you, you can use services like blocktrade and pay for them to borrow you steem power. And its pretty cheap, 1 steem dollar can get you a borrow of 51 steem power for 30 days. And if you use that power to upvote your posts you even get a little bit more than what you spent.
I use bots too - I am not suggesting to ban bots.
I understand you are not but if steemit decides to ban them, many minnows will just quit.
That's a very good point! I stop posting on steem for that very reason. Now all I do is read post and comment. I no longer think of manking any steem from any post. If I ever get to 55+ it will be from comments, which may never happen. I see bots as a cheat because one never has to read the post, it may not be at all, but that how I see it. I used to have a link on my website to my steemit post, that was removed. From my point of view posting is notwithstanding, so I stop posting other than those thing I see as important.
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