Even though I'm new here, I'll dare to challenge the @introduce.bot comment I've received on my first Blog post. It's a high ranking bot with big reputation score so why would I ... bear with me, I'll explain.

To better understand the context – I wrote my post ~ $50 in 100 Carmel (carmel.io) tokens airdrop and put it into the #airdrop space. It was really valid only for one day because of the diminishing value of the airdrop. I just wanted to share an urgent message with the most people possible. Well, those interested in crypto and blockchain etc. That's what Steemit is for, right? The second comment on the post was from the bot and it looked like this:

Being a newbie I thought the bot is probably Steemit official (stupid thought, it's decentralized, we own the platform ...) with some kind of a helping hand to offer at the beginning. But after reading the comment and the post behind the link I was confused. The intentions are good but the execution is quite the opposite of what I would expect.

Stop the SPAM

The icon has no other purpose than to help the comment to stand out. An eye catcher, nothing else. That's not a bad thing if there's value. But is it really that valuable for me or for the bot itself?

I gave you an upvote on your first post!

I think it goes without saying – this is SPAM. Imagine everyone who gave you an upvote to also write a comment stating the obvious just to introduce themselves in a hope of getting another follower or an upvote. Would you consider this normal on Facebook i.e. every like followed with a comment "I've liked your post ..."? I doubt it. If I'm interested in upvotes then I simply look up who has upvoted. Believe me, I did. Several times. It is interesting enough, we all do it.

Please give me a follow and I will give you a follow in return!

You know how desperate it sounds? Instant memories of Twitter "follow me please, I will follow back" beggers. Also, it's the only thing in bold so is this really the primary message we want to be highlighted here? I hope not. Where's the value in that? Why should I follow? OK, stop the bias and let's see what the bot has to offer:

Again, SPAM. While I'm happy for all the credits distributed (including mine) and the obviously good job the bot is doing (really, hat down) this sounds like a log file to me. I get it, stats are important ... for the developer. Unfollowed. Really don't want to have my feed full of this. Why should I?

Please also take a moment to read this post regarding bad behavior on Steemit.

In fact, without the "bad behavior" link I would probably flag the comment immediately. This is the only value one can get from the comment. And it's a good one! Funny I had a feeling that the bot should actually read the post and follow suit.

We can do better

Maybe the bot is actually representing the exact same behavior it wants people to avoid. It's not a good sign for the community, not a good start for newcomers. Again, the intentions are good, it's just in those little details that make it look so bad.

A suggestion if I may as I read that our feedback is welcome – let's change the wording a little bit. Maybe we can even try to find something more welcoming and less intrusive together? Feel free to suggest your ideas. Here's mine:

Congratulations on your first post @joooc. Keep up the good work and always remember to add value. Avoid bad behavior on Steemit to not get downvoted and enjoy the ride, it's awesome. Welcome onboard!