I will be writing something on this topic this week. I think you do bring up good points, but I also think that there is room for trails. Splinterlands has seen great success, but also had automation. For most people, botting was out of reach.

I earn a fraction on a trail what I would earn manually curating, but my life does not give me the time to do a good job. I know a few people that do a good job and when I am not voting, they vote for me. I will get more into it on my post in the next few days and will be sure to tag you.

I believe it is very important to get this thing right as POB is a really great place to be, and we should keep it that way.