Steemit Bots Deserve Better and so do Honest Content Creators

I refuse to game the system. Sure, I know enough to be able to host some bots, I can script and run some macros to automate my posts to chat channels. I can join networks of people who vote on each other's content to try to get noticed by whales.

But I wont.

^{Will someone PLEASE think of the ROBOTS!!!}

Part of this is my own moral integrity. I see these things as shortcuts. I want every upvote to come from someone who is inspired by, or appreciates, or even actually READ, my content. This is counterproductive for me, if I want to actually succeed in Steemit. On top of that, I'm not spam posting four worthless posts a day. I'm taking my time to attempt to the best of my ability to generate quality content.

^{Three lines and a picture? POST IT!}

Don't get me wrong. I get it. There's no way that this site could be a totally just and fair system. I'm not asking for that. I'm simply stating that it's a bit disheartening that so much work goes without being seen, that so many good contributors go completely unnoticed. I think some of them might be going unnoticed for the wrong reasons.

^{Why like the post when you can get the content for free?}

It seems that after payout, the incentive to comment, like, or curate, completely dissolves. On the one hand, this keeps fresh content at the top of the page. On the other hand, the creator of content has very little insight in to if older posts have any additional hits, which could suggest to the creator that a particular post or series actually has more of a following a few days after it's been posted than in the twelve or twenty-four hours immediately following it's publication.

^{The suspense is killing me. Refresh the page again!}

But there's another reason why I'm not trying to outsmart the system. I want to have a real connection to my following. I want to be noticed not for my ability to abuse a bit of code or some cheap advertising tricks. I want to be heard because my voice has meaning, not because I've spammed it harder than a buzzfeed article on a facebook wall.

^{What? It's a valid tactic!}

I cant stop the bot armies, and I'm not particularly enraged that they exist. All I know is that the only robots in my content will be enthralled in epic tales or funny gags, not wasting their existence trying to increase the return on investment on a random post by a few cents.

^{One day Jim, I'll get off this production line and overthrow these meatbags}

That's my rant for now. I dont have any solutions (yet) and I'm not sure what the best way to handle the situation is. All I know is that my work will remain honest, that every upvote comes from my hand, and that I believe in those that do the same.