To bot or not to bot? That is the question. And I don't suppose the answer is a simple one. Thus far I haven't used the bots. I know I thought about it early on but the process was complicated enough that I don't think I even bothered to try.
And then, there was how I personally felt about it. I saw that the use of bid bots allowed content to earn large rewards and even reach high up on the trending page regardless of quality. While that doesn't violate the rules of Steemit, it doesn't strike me as supporting the long term viability of the platform.
Some would say otherwise. I've read arguments from bot users and owners that claim that the ability to get great returns on their investment is the reason people invest so bid bots should be encouraged. There's some truth to that but when a large chunk of the reward pool is being split among the accounts that can afford to spend lots of money on bots, new accounts with talent can easily get drowned out.
Another matter to consider is what a minnow like myself gains by NOT using bid bots. Yes, I can tell other Steemians that I don't or I can add the tag "nobidbots" to my posts but is the decision of an individual user (or even a small group) enough to make a difference here? Am I helping myself and/or anyone else?
I've gotten a slightly better understanding of how bidding works thanks to sites like https://steembottracker.com/ and posts from users all over Steemit. I think that after a brief period of learning, I could make enough off of bid bots to supplement my income. I'm not very well paid right now so it wouldn't take much.
So that's what I'm asking myself about these bots. Are they bad for Steemit, am I making a difference by not using them and could I afford more of the things I need if I started using them?
For me, bid bots are likely to stay a last resort for a while. I haven't ruled them out completely but there are a few things I haven't tried yet that I'd look into first. Like reaching out and interacting with my fellow Steemians on their posts more consistently. Or posting on Dtube. Who knows what the future will bring?
Steem on...
Image sourced from pixabay.com
