Downvotes... are they a good thing for #steem or not?

avatar
(Edited)

Downvotes... are they a good thing for #steem or not?


image.png
IMG SRC

I've been thinking a lot about the free downvotes that were introduced with HF21.

I made up my mind and I don't like them, because the potential for misuse is high and we can see such toxic usage of downvotes with people targeting others for different reasons from the safety of non-posting accounts that are just registered for downvote usage.

Upvoting and leaving comments on content that we don't like is more than enough to show opposing belief, disgust or any other critique.

What I was concerned about has materialized in little projects even like downvotecontrol for instance.They target SBI (steem basic income) users because they think "Vote trading circles are worse than bidbots, downvoting posts upvoted by SBI farm, upvotebuilders etc ..."

So, what do you think! Are the downvotes a good thing or do they make #steem more toxic?




Answer the question at dpoll.xyz.



0
0
0.000
85 comments
avatar

My opinion is they are a necessary evil. :) We need them, the free ones are fine too.

While I don't appreciate the reward police crew and those who attack success, each of us can only allocate what we own or control through delegation.

srake rewards.jpg

While I really dislike how some are using them I have to remember it is just an annoyance and not real damage.

I'm not answering the poll, because I think there are pros and cons with the free downvotes and I think this phase will pass.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

Thank you for your comment!

To me the not upvoting or commenting critique into posts still seem sufficient.

I'm afraid that the frustration that goes along with being hit by downvotes will lead to the feeling that the environment on here became toxic.

This type of feedback reached me from different fellow steemians some of them are with #steem from the beginning.

I also heard a lot of comments in favor of the after hf21 with new downvote possibilities era.

I also can't help my self thinking about onboarding new users into #steem and how to explain the n00bs what they have to consider and what they have to steer clear of.

Right now it's someone who dislikes SBI that's serving me downvotes tomorrow it might be the next thing.

I'm all for free speech and I'll protect everybody's right to voice their critique at any time.

Structuring a "downvote-service" though to target certain groups of people seems wrong to me.

This type of "policing" people/accounts/content and affiliation to projects and groups has the foul taste of forcing their opinion onto others.

I dislike especially this last point.

It even has lead to another upvote circle that has given up due to these downvotes.

Check out this post if you like:

https://steempeak.com/palnet/@upvotebuilders/upvotebuilders-is-closing-down

So, I hope a lot of people participate in this poll so we can learn if the majority of steemians is in favor of the "after hf21 downvote changes" to #steem or not.

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar

Voted for

Negative curation is a healthy part of the ecosystem. The problem I see is some people have a hard time w criticism. If a post is overvalued, why not adjust it to what is reasonable and leave constructive feedback?

0
0
0.000
avatar

Because very often it is not constructive and not objective and based on nothing but an opinion.

It is also part of the platform and needed but many have a long long way to go before they reach constructive.

0
0
0.000
avatar

This is true.

A lot of them seem more or less arbitrary as they will often not bother leaving a comment. I can imagine folks frustration.

But even taking the time to leave a thoughtful comment w constructive criticism, it's a toss up whether the user is going to take it into consideration or worse, they take it personally.

0
0
0.000
avatar

When there is at least one comment that explains it can be assumed that it is not a systematic attempt to harm anyone, but when the votes come from accounts that only cast negative votes and do not publish anything, they can no longer be given the "benefit of doubt"

0
0
0.000
avatar

If downvotes were limited to active accounts that post and comment I would be fine with them I guess!

But being downvoted by dedicated "downvote accounts", sometimes with no stake "in the game", simply seems wrong to me.

0
0
0.000
avatar

majority of the time there is no criticism, and there is no explanation, its just bots or whales downvoting for no explicit reason.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Congratulations @doifeellucky! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You published more than 800 posts. Your next target is to reach 850 posts.

You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

To support your work, I also upvoted your post!

Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!
0
0
0.000
avatar

I think it's mixed.

It's as though we equip every steemian with a weapon. How we use the weapon is dependent on individual.

It ultimately depends on whether there are more good actors than bad actors on this platform. Time will tell

0
0
0.000
avatar

The issue with this is that not even a majority must misuse the downvote instrument to cause frustration. If you're targeted because of affiliation with another project, token or initiative it won't help you that the majority isn't misusing the instrument.

I think a fair solution would be to make mandatory that only accounts that actively post content or comment on content can downvote.

The style in which the downvotes are implemented right now is a standing invitation to misuse imo.

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar

Friend @doifeellucky, it's a great discussion you propose.

Negative votes have begun to be used indiscriminately in an irresponsible manner, with criteria adjusted not to the misuse of the platform but to the personal taste of each one.

I particularly think that this platform has the purpose of being able to express ourselves freely, as long as we do not harm its operation or other users.

In my case, every post I make is hit by negative votes from some accounts for no apparent reason, according to what you express is for using SBI, a vote with which someone generously supports me to help me.

In my personal opinion, regulators must be regulated!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thank you for your comment and vote!

Imo there negative votes should be reserved to accounts that actively post snd comment for instance! I guess this already would help a little.

Maybe the use of downvotes should be discussed again and put up for consensus.

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar

I thing down votes could be effective if they weren't weighted. Just because you have a lot of money doesn't mean you should have the power to to ruin somebody because it doesn't fit your agenda. It doesn't mean you have the right to be a bully and it doesn't mean you are any smarter or fairer than someone who has a small amount of money. From the start of Steemit that power has been abused and has ruined countless individuals and groups by irresponsible actions due to an unfair advantage.

Having the power to affect others comes with a great responsibility and as we've seen through history those that hold power generally abuse it and that hasn't been any different here.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for your comment!

Yes, I think very much like you about this issue.

The question becomes though if these downvotes are the cause for a lot of frustration up to the level that people think about giving up on here what is the goal of those that shortsightedly abuse they downvote capabilities.

Clearly I would absolutely understand if some fellow steemian would rather post on some other platform if the returns on here aren't worth the trouble of wasting time on such negative things like flag battles.

What really pisses me off though is that "policing" or "schooling" of others by targeting content and comments of fellow steemians by some individuals and groups.

This is surely not why I came here in the first place!

Don't get me wrong I like many ideas of the STEEM blockchain but the HF21 changes that messed with downvotes... imo they were a big mistake and if even seasoned steemians think about closing shop on here because of this how can anyone expect onboarding new users?

...and there are many other issues on here too all from people that act in their own interest like still a bunch of big guns on here still use self-upvoting on a regular basis. Their simply to big to seriously mess with them though.

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar

I think it's a big ego boost for bullies to have a feeling of being superior and more powerful than others without any regard to what destruction they are doing to the platform and either those coming on board or those who decide to throw in the towel after working really hard and long on their work just to see it buried and earning nothing.

I agree entirely with you regarding "policing" and the stalking manner in which they proceed and taunt.

Yes, they are too big to mess with and unfortunately those with the power to do so don't put them in their place. There are too many times here and elsewhere that there aren't any consequences to bad behavior when you have a lot of money.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Very true my friend!

But a blockchain could solve this and address more equality. Jeez... and that was exactly what HF21 should address in part. To end the unfair "rape" of the pool by bitbots and vote buying and so on. But on the other hand people that have a higher stake in the game might understandably demand to have "more" to say than the average "Joe".

So, privileges exist, that's a fact.

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar

Voted for

The current downvote system is a crap that is destroying Steem. It looks like a desert now. I have to say no.

Downvotes shouldn't be free 'coz people abuse them to wage personal wars. Downvotes should cost real steem so that morons don't abuse them.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for your comment and vote!

I agree with you! This would be one way to fight the pandemic of downvotes from anon accounts.

Accounts like this one here just serve the purpose of downvoting others content and comments.

image.png

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar

Voted for

Not when they allow people to bully others for pleasure.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for your comment and vote!

Hmh... hard to say when it is bullying and when it is for "legit" reasons.

Like the ones I mentioned in my recent articles around downvoting. They think SBI is bad and therefor they target SBI users with their downvotes. They found their reason to do this but they try to force their beliefs onto others by their downvotes I feel.

Other's motives stay completely unclear like this fellow here...

image.png

He downvoted this dpoll article but I have no idea why. One thing is for sure this is no user accoount for posting content or engaging with the community on here. It must be an alt of an fellow steemian who's probably a too big coward to use his main account.

He can shoot with downvotes without having to worry about any repercussions/consequences.

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar

Voted for

I would say it definitely depends on the circumstances. If a spam post is getting downvoted so they don't get rewards for doing nothing, that is good. If it is just "getting a downvote from a random account for no reason" or "downvoted because I disagree with this person or don't like them" that is bad.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for your comment and your vote! 🙏

So it will stay a dilemma, right?

If there's no chance to actually quantify and qualify the good and the bad we'll maybe just have to live with the dilemma, right?

To me the individual reason for someone downvoting content of others would be interesting to know but every reason is fair game to me!

I don't like the sneaky type of downvotes distribution via anon or bot accounts.

I would prefer that downvote capabilities must be earned by engaging with the community or by actively posting.

That way at least some of the misuse if steem voting

0
0
0.000
avatar

Voted for

The concept itself is a positive aspect.
But as it is currently configured, it is not functional for the community.
the policies should be modified

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for your comment and vote!🙏

Hmh... so what would be adequate policies?

Tie downvote capabilities to active users (actively posting/commenting) or other criteria?

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar

I will continue to support the possibility of adding a comment justifying the vote. The voter should make a check accepting terms and conditions, which must be presented on screen before allowing to cast a negative vote.
Perhaps this procedure gives a legitimacy and seriousness to the whole process and thus is not taken lightly.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for your comment and vote!

Yep, this could raise the bar a little!

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar

This is a downvote strategy that I could get behind, if you do not like something I am doing tell me or I do not know what I have done wrong. This would help noobs and might not scare them away.

I always prefer postitive interactions.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Certainly, I also think it could work.

Nice to meet you.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I don't like negative votes either, I think that when I started on this network, if you didn't like something you didn't vote for it and if it bothered you a lot, you would comment on it and make your point of view clear. But now it turns out that I have several negative votes simply because it occurred to me to enter the SBI a bit.

Thus, without explanation or right to defend myself, I will constantly receive negative votes from bot accounts that only issue these negative votes, without those accounts ever having a publication or burning steem for the benefit of the network. They are simple zombie accounts that are used to attack others without giving them truce or opportunity to dialogue.

I would like that if an account emits only negative votes, at least the same blockchain forces you to write a brief comment when you vote, verifying that it is not a text repeated to infinity, to at least complicate the life of the bots and make them People explain what bothers them so much about what is written in the accounts that they vote all the time in negative.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hello @pedrobrito2004,

yes, maybe raising thebar a little in terms of the downvote policies would do the trick of ensuring a more fair and transparent handling of downvotes.

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar

Voted for

I did not like the idea of ​​voting freely in the negative, less when it can be done without having to give any comments that could explain what we dislike and give the author the opportunity to discuss or even correct the port.

When there is at least one comment that explains it can be assumed that it is not a systematic attempt to harm anyone, but when the votes come from accounts that only cast negative votes and do not publish anything, they can no longer be given the "benefit of the doubt"

I would like an option to be included in the future, whether it is voted only positive or only negative, but nothing is ever published, as the account is suspected of being a bot account; that when you only cast negative votes, you have to write for each case, so that it is explained what motivates you to vote negative a certain post; I think that in any case there may be users who will take it as something personal (which I do not deny that it can happen), but at least we will have some discussion and better possibilities to learn and grow than simply having bot accounts giving negative votes.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hello @pedrobrito2004,

thanks for your comment and vote!

I agree 100%!

In the case of @mmmmkkkk311 it's clear why he spreads his downvotes. In his words from his profile "Vote trading circles are worse than bidbots, downvoting posts upvoted by SBI farm, upvotebuilders etc ...".

Well, I'm definitely "guilty" of that ;-) I've been enrolled in SBI for quite some time now. I still think SBI is a nice idea to share some longer lasting appreciation to fellow steemians, I've enrolled hundreds of steemians, with some benefit for the person that enrolls too. I've also delegated some SP to the program because I like the project.

After receiving the downvotes from the "downvotecontrol" guy I've again critically looked at SBI but there's no abuse I can identify with SBI.

So, maybe I/we just have to agree to disagree with this "SBI hater" and his supporters. I think this kind of mo is questionable at least and I don't like this kind of "policing" the content and comments of others.

I've come to understand that there are certain things that should be flagged like spam and plagiarism and this kind of content hygiene is pretty effectively done by @steemitcleaners.

But to force anyone's opinion onto others with downvotes is questionable to say the least. I came to the conclusion that the free downvotes and maybe downvotes in general introduce a kind of toxicity into the otherwise wonderful #steem blockchain. I wanted to get a feeling for how others think about this hence the poll.

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar

Congratulations @doifeellucky!
Your post was mentioned in the Steem Hit Parade in the following category:

  • Comments - Ranked 8 with 50 comments
0
0
0.000
avatar

Downvotes are necessary. On balance, what we had before HF 21 was much worse than what we have now. Votes were purchased with positive return on investment putting practically anything to Trending, which is a completely insane concept because no platform can survive paying people to advertise on it. Few people would sacrifice their voting power to combat that.

The reward pool is a common resource. It is owned by no one and users have influence over it in proportion to their stake. What happened to the pool prior to HF 21 could serve as a textbook example of a tragedy of the commons. Preventing reward pool abuse absolutely requires active policing. There is no going around that.

To be honest, I'd much rather see the content reward pool completely removed than to have it abused like it used to be before HF 21 and #newsteem.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hello @markkujantunen,

thanks for your comment and vote!

I understand the positive effects of the after HF 21 changes to some extent.

But it seems to me that the rules about what is an abuse of the reward pool and what is not aren't clear!

There maybe some obvious abuses like plagiarism, spam and so on. But for instance in regard to programs like SBI or upvotebuilders they are seen by a few as also abusing the reward pool others seem to be Ok with such "upvote circles".

So where do you/we draw the line?

Is it already abuse of the reward pool if you upvotes content and comments of befriended accounts or does it start getting sketchy when it's simply a more structured approach like with SBI?

At least for @mmmmkkkk311 and his supporters SBI is an issue.

image.png

What are your thoughts about this?

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar

I think there will never be a universal consensus over these issues. This is, after all, a decentralized community of users. We can discuss and try to get people to agree on some kind of standards, though.

I downvote when I see blatant abuse like plagiarism or vote farming with substandard content (relative to the rewards). I apply stricter standards to what I see in Trending. I want to do my part to make sure that nothing that gets to trending has votes bought with a positive ROI. It's insane for a platform to pay someone to advertise on it.

I'm personally not into going after vote trading clubs or SBI because there is a lot else going on that needs to be downvoted. But I understand why that account goes after structured and impersonal, totally content-agnostic vote trading schemes such as upvotebuilders or SBI.

I think SBI is a mostly negative thing because it's all about buying votes for yourself and a little to a buddy. It's a structured self-voting scheme that has some sort of a very loose quality control policy. SBI votes would be better used by curating someone else's posts particularly now that the 50/50 split is in effect.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

Thanks for your comment!

Interesting to see your reasoning regarding downvotes and the critique about vote trading and SBI.

I understand these arguments. I thought SBI was a great thing because of the fact that you enroll/sponsor fellow steemians. A nice way to show appreciation for the content and comments of others with longer lasting effects for them than just an upvote.

But I'm for a change in their upvote policy based on quality of content! That would be a really nice move and the critique part of being quality agnostic in their votes would go away.

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar

I think SBI is a mostly negative thing because it's all about buying votes for yourself and a little to a buddy.

Not true. As far as I read it, the ROI is smaller than what your buddy gets.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Ok. But it is content agnostic use of the reward pool anyway.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

There's nothing wrong with being content agnostic. We all used to upvote our friends posts by 100% and that didn't matter then, why should it matter when we let a bot give a small vote every now and then?

I don't see the reason to complain when the vote sizes never ever make anyone's post trend, or make them rich.

Also, it allocates a certain amount of votes on a weekly bases, and if the person only posts one post per week, they get a larger vote per post, than he would if he posted say 25 posts per week.

Concerning your idea about the bot voting for the most upvoted post... I don't see a reasonable way to allocate the votes to the most upvoted post if the users have different styles of creating content. Some only post one post per week, some do it more erratically. The bot needs to accomodate to that. And still it needs to be fair.

I think the way it does it now is as fair as it can possibly be, but if you have a better idea, please share.

If however there is a concern that the bot-owner will run with the sponsorships, one idea is to automate the bot via a smart contract, so that the funds will be only available to the bot and no-one else.

Lisäys: Kun joku käyttää terrorismia saadakseen tahtonsa läpi, ei sellaiselle paskalle anneta myönnytyksiä, koska seuraava terroristi vaatii aina pikkuisen lisää ja lopulta sille paskalle ei tule loppua.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

There's nothing wrong with being content agnostic.

Content agnostic voting results in deterioration of content quality.

We all used to upvote our friends posts by 100% and that didn't matter then, why should it matter when we let a bot give a small vote every now and then?

In fact, voting in circles did harm Proof-of-Brain by allocating the reward pool sub-optimally. It still does.

I don't see the reason to complain when the vote sizes never ever make anyone's post trend, or make them rich.

The problem with the small content agnostic votes is that while each particular one may not detract much from the value voting was designed to create, collectively they can amount to significant harm.

Also, it allocates a certain amount of votes on a weekly bases, and if the person only posts one post per week, they get a larger vote per post, than he would if he posted say 25 posts per week.

Concerning your idea about the bot voting for the most upvoted post... I don't see a reasonable way to allocate the votes to the most upvoted post if the users have different styles of creating content. Some only post one post per week, some do it more erratically. The bot needs to accomodate to that. And still it needs to be fair.

I think the way it does it now is as fair as it can possibly be, but if you have a better idea, please share.

My opinion on SBI is that while it isn't at the top of the list of things detrimental to PoB, it's still a form of vote farming, albeit a more benign one than many others.

I think it makes more sense to favour organic forms of engagement. Back when the STEEM price was higher, there used to be a lot of comment upvoting back and forth. As long as value was being added there was nothing wrong with that.

This very discussion holds some value as it clarifies positions. (I don't do comment upvoting at this kind of prices because I'd have to use 100% all the time to defeat the dust threshold, though.)

If however there is a concern that the bot-owner will run with the sponsorships, one idea is to automate the bot via a smart contract, so that the funds will be only available to the bot and no-one else.

Steem has no smart contract capabilities. There has been talk of building it but it seems that soft consensus is being favoured where the results of the computation be stored on chain and be verifiable by anyone.

Lisäys: Kun joku käyttää terrorismia saadakseen tahtonsa läpi, ei sellaiselle paskalle anneta myönnytyksiä, koska seuraava terroristi vaatii aina pikkuisen lisää ja lopulta sille paskalle ei tule loppua.

Steemissä stake jyrää ja erimielisyys palkkioista on aina ollut hyväksytty syy downvouttaamiseen. Jos jonkun äänestyskäyttäytyminen tuntuu epäoikeudenmukaiselta eivätkä omat voimat riitä kumoamaan sitä, voi yrittää hakea tukea yhteisöltä.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Content agnostic voting results in deterioration of content quality.

Content agnostic downvoting equally results in deterioration of content quality. And it may deteriorate the whole motivation to ever write anything on Steem again; an example

Steem has no smart contract capabilities.

Dan didn't seem to think so.

I think it makes more sense to favour organic forms of engagement.

I am a huge proponent of organic forms of engagement, but you should understand that I am being forced to follow trails now, because I can't make enough ROI from just writing. And that kind of sucks as I'd like to make content. Steem seems to have it backwards, as my better posts don't get rewards and some people get huge upvotes for a couple of photos. Talk about fair and then defend the bully and say we can't use anything that'd level the playing field a bit, like SBI.

That's just pompous and arrogant.

0
0
0.000
avatar

"Content agnostic voting results in deterioration of content quality."

Content agnostic downvoting equally results in deterioration of content quality.

Absolutely true as downvoting is voting.

And it may deteriorate the whole motivation to ever write anything on Steem again; an example

I agree, which is why seeking community support is always a possibility.

"Steem has no smart contract capabilities."

Dan didn't seem to think so.

He didn't say they existed. He was outlining some possibilities in that post.

"I think it makes more sense to favour organic forms of engagement."

I am a huge proponent of organic forms of engagement, but you should understand that I am being forced to follow trails now, because I can't make enough ROI from just writing. And that kind of sucks as I'd like to make content.

In fact, you can and you have been rewarded with big upvotes several times when you have created quality posts after HF 21.

Steem seems to have it backwards, as my better posts don't get rewards

Several of them have.

and some people get huge upvotes for a couple of photos.

Here are some of your better rewarded posts made post HF 21:

$40.89:

https://steempeak.com/hive-104647/@gamer00/steemfest4-musings-1-the-days-1-and-2-flights-meetings-siam-society-and-wat-pathum-wanaram

$8.13:

https://steempeak.com/travel/@gamer00/our-last-day-in-thailand-part-2-two-temples

$5.70:

https://steempeak.com/travel/@gamer00/our-last-day-in-thailand-part-3-dogs-birds-people

$7.47:

https://steempeak.com/steemfest/@gamer00/splinterlands-and-3speak

$6.39:

https://steempeak.com/cryptocurrency/@gamer00/keybase-the-whatsapp-alternative-with-an-integrated-stellar-wallet

$1.91:

https://steempeak.com/roadtosteemfest/@gamer00/landing-soon

$11.39:

https://steempeak.com/halloween/@gamer00/pumpkinfest-preparations

"Talk about fair and then defend the bully and say we can't use anything that'd level the playing field a bit, like SBI."

That's just pompous and arrogant.

I think you are good enough a photographer to earn very nicely if you did something similar to your 356 project back in the day.

There are active curation projects like @ocdb, @curangel, @curie not to mention the former bid bot accounts like @upmewhale continuously supporting any quality author for free.

Compared to SBI, for even people who don't have time to create content or to even curate that much, one alternative is to look for authors who put out quality consistently and set them on optimally timed auto-votes. You can periodically review your auto-votes to drop those who do not meet your quality standards. That's because curators get 50% these days.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I agree, which is why seeking community support is always a possibility.

You keep talking about that. I am not a begger, I will not beg for giveouts.

I am not motivated enough to do "quality posts" whatever that means at any given moment. Not anymore. Especially not when quality doesn't get rewarded.

All the posts you listed aren't exactly quality posts, and those that were, got less than those that weren't. There is a distinct discrepancy.

You wanted SBI to curate, not even the curation projects seem to get things right, why should they even try?

Compared to SBI, for even people who don't have time to create content or to even curate that much, one alternative is to look for authors who put out quality consistently and set them on optimally timed auto-votes. You can periodically review your auto-votes to drop those who do not meet your quality standards. That's because curators get 50% these days.

We did that earlier, remember? And to my previous comment about autovotes you let me know it was wrong.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

"I agree, which is why seeking community support is always a possibility."

You keep talking about that. I am not a begger, I will not beg for giveouts.

I think it's completely ok to bring up any abusive downvoting.

I am not motivated enough to do "quality posts" whatever that means at any given moment. Not anymore. Especially not when quality doesn't get rewarded.

All the posts you listed aren't exactly quality posts, and those that were, got less than those that weren't. There is a distinct discrepancy.

The best rewarded ones were Steemfest posts, which were much better rewarded than most others. @ocdb tends to reward posts reporting on meetups better than average probably because the curators find value in the community building aspect of meetups. But there were some pretty good posts like the Pumpkinfest preparations post that were rewarded well as they should've been. The Keybase post was also a good review of the software and quite informative and thus deserving of the rewards.

There is indeed always an element of chance to rewarding. I've made many posts that were either rewarded disappointingly modestly considering the effort and quality perceived by myself or posts that I think were a bit over-rewarded. But I think it's still very clear that the average quality of your output determines your average level of rewards here. For example, when I bought my DSLR and taught myself photography, it took a while before the rewards started going up but they did.

You wanted SBI to curate, not even the curation projects seem to get things right, why should they even try?

In my experience, curation projects do get things mostly right. There is a very clear correlation between quality and rewards when it comes to my posts, although it is not perfect. My short-form low-effort posts rarely get rewarded very well although at some rare occasions they have been. At other times, some of my high-effort posts have received little in the way of rewards despite me thinking they should've been better rewarded. But there's also the fact that curators may have different tastes than I. They also might simply miss something.

"Compared to SBI, for even people who don't have time to create content or to even curate that much, one alternative is to look for authors who put out quality consistently and set them on optimally timed auto-votes. You can periodically review your auto-votes to drop those who do not meet your quality standards. That's because curators get 50% these days."

We did that earlier, remember?

I'm not talking about blindly exchanging auto-votes between friends or routinely giving large manual votes to our friends. We haven't been doing the latter for over a year and a half now, have we? Which is ok, of course, because with consistency and networking it is always possible to find support. The upcoming communities feature will make content discovery even more efficient, I believe.

What I'm saying is that while I find auto-voting a curated list of authors less valuable than full manual curation, it is still the second best alternative to compiling a list of authors creating great content consistently and setting well-timed autovotes on them and periodically taking a look at their content to see whether you can still auto-vote them with a good conscience. I find that practice better for the platform than any blind upvoting system or any mathematical equivalent thereof. When you auto-vote on the posts of authors on a curated list of high-quality content creators you can combine the good of the platform with adequate ROI to a degree that I find reasonable.

And to my previous comment about autovotes you let me know it was wrong.

I'm not sure what you mean. What I think about auto-voting chosen accounts is that while it is worse than organic curation, because you can check content creators for consistent quality and because you can periodically review the list of your auto-vote recipients, it is better than any permanent vote exchanging scheme. Or have I misunderstood how SBI works? Is it the case that if you sponsor someone, you pay a lump sum and they as well as yourself will receive upvotes from SBI accounts forever after that?

0
0
0.000
avatar

I'd much rather see the content reward pool completely removed

Goodbye to Steem then? You forget it is a crypto currency, and the distribution of that cryptocurrency would become a whole lot more difficult if it weren't for content rewards.

I have no idea what else is a more democratic way to distribute crypto than via some sort of proof of person. But proving that would be a bit difficult, if not by writing and creating content that then would be rewarded.

If you have a better idea, please share.

0
0
0.000
avatar

"I'd much rather see the content reward pool completely removed"

Goodbye to Steem then? You forget it is a crypto currency, and the distribution of that cryptocurrency would become a whole lot more difficult if it weren't for content rewards.

What about every PoW out there? Bitcoin does not have a reward pool other than mining rewards and works just fine. A cryptocurrency does not require a reward pool like on Steem to work let alone be successful.

My point was that prior to the introduction of the EIP in HF 21, Proof-of-Brain on Steem worked so badly that it would've been better to remove the pool completely and just let STEEM derive its value primarily from its other characteristics such as how SP confers Resource Credits and how it has fast and feeless transfers, human-readable addresses, different keys for different types of transactions to enhance security and even an account recovery system.

I have no idea what else is a more democratic way to distribute crypto than via some sort of proof of person. But proving that would be a bit difficult, if not by writing and creating content that then would be rewarded.

Steem has no Proof-of-Person and anyone can create as many accounts as they like. In fact, it stands to reason to assume that the vast majority of the 1.3 million accounts on Steem were used as foot soldiers in vast bot armies used by large stakeholders to vote farm. Thanks to the sublinear curve, that sort of thing has abated to a degree because it is significantly less profitable.

If you have a better idea, please share.

The current system in place with the 2.5 full downvotes per day worth of voting power per account in combination with the 50/50 author/curator split and the convergent sublinear curve. On balance, that works much better than what we had prior to HF 21.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

Bitcoin does not have a reward pool other than mining rewards and works just fine.

But it does. 21M reward pool for proof-of-work. That's exactly what it is, it's a distribution model. And that didn't work for Steem either, hence it was ditched.

Explain to me, how are the actual rewards to be distributed then. Since this system doesn't seem to work. There are these self-proclaimed heros making life unbearable for everyone who just wants to do their thing and not be bothered with these wars.

@mmmmkkkk311 is just jealous that his system didn't work and this other system seems to be better, as at the least it is more democratic.

The current system ... ... works much better than what we had prior to HF 21.

But that doesn't answer my question. If this current system is broken as it allows piss-for-brains like MK carry out their little revenge campaigns without no recourse. What is your solution?

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

"Bitcoin does not have a reward pool other than mining rewards and works just fine."

But it does. 21M reward pool for proof-of-work. That's exactly what it is, it's a distribution model.

Bitcoin actually has rewards for block creation and transfer validation but nothing like the content reward pool.

And that didn't work for Steem either, hence it was ditched.

No. Steem was premined because Steemit, Inc needed to circumvent SEC regulations, according to which STEEM would otherwise have been deemed a security. Steem was never intended to be a PoW coin except in the beginning for the aforementioned reason.

And Bitcoin works.

Explain to me, how are the actual rewards to be distributed then. Since this system doesn't seem to work.

What I've been saying is that post-HF21 the system works better than what we had prior to it.

There are these self-proclaimed heros making life unbearable for everyone who just wants to do their thing and not be bothered with these wars.

You think this guy is absolutely wrong about downvoting content that has been upvoted SBI accounts. In that case, you're doing to the right thing to bring this up with the community.

@mmmmkkkk311 is just jealous that his system didn't work and this other system seems to be better, as at the least it is more democratic.

I don't know what his system is and I can't tell what his deeper motivations may be. I don't think SBI is that huge a deal that I would bother to downvote its users. But I can tell you that I get fairly frequently downvoted by @mmmmkkkk311, too. I think his downvotes are more likely when the post gets upvoted by a list of users that regularly cast similarly sized upvotes on my posts. That is, the owner of the account seems to run a bot that tries to look for circular voters.

"The current system ... ... works much better than what we had prior to HF 21."

But that doesn't answer my question. If this current system is broken as it allows piss-for-brains like MK carry out their little revenge campaigns without no recourse. What is your solution?

I don't think it's particularly broken because of affording the users the technical capability to downvote other user's posts for whatever reason they want to and even with a separate downvoting pool at that. Any downvoting deemed abusive can be countered by the community. It's all up for open discussion which this post of yours is all about.

0
0
0.000
avatar

And Bitcoin works.

For what it is built for. There is no Steem equivalent running on Bitcoin.

You think this guy is absolutely wrong about downvoting content that has been upvoted SBI accounts.

Yes, I think he is absolutely wrong in what he is doing. He should be creating an SPS and let people vote on it. This is absurd. Bullying does NOT get people to support your cause.

I don't know what his system is

Bidbots

I don't think it's particularly broken by affords the users the technical capability to downvote other user's posts for whatever reason they want to and even with a separate downvoting pool at that. Any downvoting deemed abusive can be countered by the community. It's all up for open discussion which this post if yours is all about.

There is a sizable community giving in to him, and then there is a part of the community that could really do without his downvotes. They are arbitrary and bullshit. And he is not really helping his cause. He is creating a rift in the community.

0
0
0.000
avatar

"And Bitcoin works."

For what it is built for. There is no Steem equivalent running on Bitcoin.

I was only commenting on your claim that for STEEM to work as a cryptocurrency, it needs a content reward pool and nothing else.

"You think this guy is absolutely wrong about downvoting content that has been upvoted SBI accounts."

Yes, I think he is absolutely wrong in what he is doing. He should be creating an SPS and let people vote on it.

Why should he create a Steem Proposal?

This is absurd. Bullying does NOT get people to support your cause.

He doesn't necessarily need or look for anyone's support. It seems that he's content using whatever downvoting power to return rewards from SBI votes back to the pool.

"I don't know what his system is"

Bidbots

It seems to me that bid bots are dead as tools of reward pool rape. Insofar as they are used as tools to promote without financial gain to the promoter, that is perfectly fine with me. That is in fact one of the designed use cases and sources of value for Steem Power.

"I don't think it's particularly broken by affords the users the technical capability to downvote other user's posts for whatever reason they want to and even with a separate downvoting pool at that. Any downvoting deemed abusive can be countered by the community. It's all up for open discussion which this post if yours is all about."

There is a sizable community giving in to him, and then there is a part of the community that could really do without his downvotes. They are arbitrary and bullshit. And he is not really helping his cause. He is creating a rift in the community.

There will never be unanimity and perfect harmony in the community.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

Why should he create a Steem Proposal?

Why should he bombard everyone with downvotes and coerce people into submission? Why not take it up where it can be vetted on, instead of just creating wars?

And I was saying his system was bidbots, and now that they are no longer profitable, he is using his ill gained power to force people into doing his bidding.

There will never be unanimity and perfect harmony in the community.

Not if we let maniacs run head-loose into crowds and kill people. /s

Addendum: I don't care if he is right or wrong if he is making an ass of himself. I would probably even support his cause if he wasn't crazy about it. I'm just saying his way is the wrong way, and he is primarily creating enemies to his cause.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

"Why should he create a Steem Proposal?"

Why should he bombard everyone with downvotes and coerce people into submission? Why not take it up where it can be vetted on, instead of just creating wars?

The SPS is for asking funding for projects. It's not for conducting opinion polls.

And I was saying his system was bidbots, and now that they are no longer profitable, he is using his ill gained power to force people into doing his bidding.

I don't see this theoretically different from @ocdb going after bid bots.

Rather than invest in automated reward distribution like SBI, I consider it better for Steem to engage the community organically. Even though comments are rarely upvote at these STEEM price levels, by engaging the community one is bound to build social capital that holds value not only for oneself but to the world as well. While organic networking has value and it gets rewarded on Steem, automated vote exchanging or activities that are the mathematical equivalent of it do not hold similar value.

"There will never be unanimity and perfect harmony in the community."

Not if we let maniacs run head-loose into crowds and kill people. /s

What I meant was that there will truly never be total harmony here.

0
0
0.000
avatar

OK, not SPS then, then go to the guy running the bot and actually talk to him.

I don't see this theoretically different from @ocdb going after bid bots.

Well I didn't see you complain when you bought those obscenely huge upvotes from @ocdb when it was still a bidbot. (And it was. I used to try to justify that in my own mind, but never quite felt it was right. Yes, earlier when I was new to Steem even I tried bidbots like @minnowbooster, but even then they didn't feel right.)

SBI was different. You aren't directly buying any vote, and using one comes not only from altruism, because it's also an investment, but it kinda feels better to also give at the same time. There's a huge difference in buying a huge vote (mostly for yourself), and giving someone a steady stream of votes. I'm not sure if @ocdb could be used to buy votes for another, but I recall @minnowbooster had that. That's something I did use for some, because my own votes were not strong enough. I did find that oddly better than buying votes for myself.

Concerning SBI, like I said, for me it is an investment as well as a promotion vehicle. And like any investments, I expect some returns. Upvotes were those returns. Now this guy wants to take that away. I can't just throw money away so I am fighting back. I thought you of all people would understand. But no, side with the bully if you must.

I don't think Steem is going to be for me much longer. I did have some good expectations, I even wanted to start a business around it. But if I must, I will leave and no longer promote Steem.

It is sad.

0
0
0.000
avatar

They aren't a good thing. The downvotes should be treated as a flag or a report function like it used to... Now you're just giving more power to whales to freely downvote with impunity against smaller channels... and now tribes actively run separate accounts to downvote people to protect either their shittokens and or their other projects.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hello @esecholo,

thanks for your comment and vote!

The poll so far seems to be clearly on the "Downvotes are bad for #steem" side.

Although I've read a few comments and arguments pro downvotes that seem to make sense to me. I still think the potential for misuse of the after HF 21 possibilities in regard to downvotes is high.

...also, #steem is so much different form other social media platforms or other crypto projects. Not at last because of it's wonderful, wide range of possibilities. But especially the tribe and token stuff on here brought a new level of complexity into this that I'm having a hard time to keep up with tbh. Hahaha!

So I always wonder what this might make as some first impressions to a #steem n00b. Especially when they will also look at the whole downvote thing and that it isn't so uncommon for newer accounts to come under heavy fire.

I'm afraid the toxicity of downvotes could turn out to be the biggest problem for #steem.

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

Voted for

Some people are literally destroyed. I don't like downvotes. I find it sad that some are so strongly downvoted that they are always invisible. I think it's anti-social and toxic

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hello @suntree,

thanks for your comment and vote!

That was exactly what I was afraid about! I think especially on the smaller accounts downvotes must have a devastating effect!

It's something completely different if you get a few downvotes on your post that has a few hundred upvotes or upvotes from the right people (whales).

Is this a pattern I start seeing here that some of the proponents of downvotes are in the 70 plus range reputation wise?

Cheers!
Lucky

0
0
0.000