The sole purpose of this post is to see what @booster can do with 5 Steem dollars. I will be posting this blog and immediately sending 5SBD to the @booster account. I will try to send the SBD near to the voting round end so I can track the vote amount.
Every day i read posts regarding how ethical voting bots are, why you should/shouldn't use them on your posts, someone else's posts. 'They are killing the platform', 'Self up-voting is low, get some real followers!'. Perhaps. One of the Steemit lords has recently had an apparent dig at @randowhale, so maybe the time is nearing the end for such ways to boost your blogs. Meanwhile, make the most of them in my opinion.
Rewards may vary
Most bots have a variable payout. Their Steem Power varies due to time of day (number of users sending cash to them), and they may also have additional calculations which vary the payout. You would hope however, that you gain a little monetary value for your investment. What you do gain is an up-vote (or more than one if the bot has a trail) and this up-vote is a reputation boost. I would consider this as just as important as the cash boost, in fact, if I break even on a bot vote, that will do me as i've just been reputation boosted.
In addition to monetary reward and reputation boost, there is the chance of additional visibility. Flood the bots soon after posting, up-vote yourself, get your friends in on the gig, and watch yourself fly into the hot/trending. From here, others will curate on you, not because your post is good or not, just because you are in the limelight. And the snowball may grow.... anyway, back to booster..
Booster Tool
I've recently been made aware of a tool that may help you decide when it's a good time to invest in @booster. http://steem.cool/booster can help calculate ROI and is written by witness, @blueorgy. Thanks!
I also think it is worth checking the @booster comments page to double-check the timing for next round. If it is more than 2 hours since boosters last comments, the next round is due within 30 minutes!
The other bots
I use these bots on my own and other users posts when i see fit. My favourite is @lovejuice because of the idea behind it. See a post from a follower in need? Send them an up-vote via @lovejuice and let them know you are thinking of them!