RE: On BidBots, altruism, and power
Yeah, it was a good way to figure out how that part of the ecosystem works through just a little practical experience. I can understand how people could get into a rhythm with it and be driven to posting a lot just to keep the wheel spinning. I was a bit surprised at how difficult it is to know you're going to come out ahead. It seems a bit like gambling and a bit like day trading, which I guess may be part of the allure. I was really surprised to find out how difficult it is to know that you're going to come out ahead.
Even at my meager small scale, I came out better off than just a straight power-up, but it wasn't without a few nail-biting waiting games (and even taking a small loss on a transaction). I'm quite convinced that there is a way to make this all work better, which was the main thing I was trying to figure out. Another key takeaway was that the interplay between bot votes and other curation efforts is worth spending more time to understand really well.