Steemit is a journey and the great thing about it is that it changes constantly. I think around 7 months ago there was an explosion in voting bots. Profits were BIG and exploitation was as well. Exploiting a post 12 hours before the 7 day payout. You could get a blog up to perhaps $40.00 from well written content to about $150 using a bot. If you upvoted too much to say the $300-$500, well that could attract some bad attention.
Why?
As the steemit ecosystem stabilized over the months we have seen exploitation go down significantly. Minnows trying to get a fair shake were finally getting that whale upvote they had so been looking for; albeit it was paid for. Now this is really no different than running for political office. We "donate" to those running for office in the hopes we will be rewarded greatly later on.
Well, for one great Steemian whale said, "It's how you MINE STEEM"
Other more established Dolphin's said, "No, it's poor content that is being reward! We must put a stop to it".
What's the point of this blog? Well, I am just letting everyone know that things constantly change around here. I guess that's the beauty of staying in beta phase. I am enjoying the platform for what it is, and what it may become. New followers mean nothing to me if they don't comment.
Yes unfortunately the game is up. You are not likely to make any kind of profit using upvote bots anymore, and they to me are a kind of a money drainer. Yes you could get your message out, but then again the trending/hot page is nothing that would attract me anyways.
How people end up on blacklists with bots these days is perplexing to say the least. You cannot exploit a bot if your Return of investment is -10%. I know math is fun, but come-on people! You are losing your money, and getting blacklisted at the same time? - DUMB
My life is happier going back to my penny posts. Sure even if I got a whale to notice this blog, they probably already know who I am and just don't like me. However, they don't like me enough to flag me.. which is A GOOD THING. My happiness stems from being controversial, yet managing to keep my nose clean. I have never looked for a flag, and therefore avoided it. It shows you can still have an opinion, navigate with care, and still enjoy the platform.
Yes, my life is happier without upvote bots. Penny post's are enjoyable ;)
Perhaps I'll get one upvote from a whale.. just because..
ahhh then again probably not.
