I have to admit like getting a little more from curating these days. Busy on other things and do not have the time to post or even comment. I would have like to see engagement come out as what is rewarded, as that is what truly will see the blockchain grow. The quality of posts means nothing if no one reads them.

I think the whole bidbot thing has been put into a better perspective. They were meant as promotional tools. That is ... a good post is first written and then promoted. Now given that not only are you likely to lose on the bid, but you will also see have the half earnings then go to your upvoters, they are no longer appealing if you want to turn a quick buck.

To the downvoting. I'd say just ... stop it. Individual platforms should be responsible for governing spammers, which given we control our feeds and not an algorithm, I never understood the issue there. LIkewise, an individual steemian can choose to downvote any spam comments or ignore them on their page but should keep their nose out of how another runs their page content. You like, upvote and comeback. Otherwise, move on. I invested my own capital here, never taken a penny from the system, and I really don't think anyone should set the standards for it but me, provided I am not breaking the laws of the land.

If a post is about hate or illegal content, a flag should mean that platform moderators get involved and maybe even call in the police if necessary.

To downvoting based on a perceived lack of quality: that is an invitation to a flame war. The downvoting system currently in play will chase off more people than it attracts. It's has got to go. Our raison d'etre: to reward quality posts is not a sustainable goal because it has yet to be achieved in any quantifiable manner. The curation bots are good at this, but they have limited resources. But otherwise ... we aren't fooling anyone.

If we want to continue to exist, our raison d'etre has to be continued growth. Getting eyes on the page. We have to make sign-up easier, we have to make purchasing steem easier, we have to ensure people have a good time when they come here and get positive feedback on what they post, regardless of whether or not it's 'great' work. Receiving downvotes is the antitheses to that.

We should be marketing steem for what it truly is.or could be, a blockchain were if I network and buy in, I can get more eyes on my page and maybe over time receive a moderate amount of stake and profit.

A warship is a warship, pretending its a library doesn't float.

Oh yeah ... get us the hell of beta.