So here's my take from someone relatively new to STEEM and sees the massive opportunity that the promotion 'bots' have...
Like you mentioned in your bio, they are content promotion services / software in my opinion too. The 'bot' brand almost hides what they CAN be used for...Promoting (hopefully) great content!
I do my best to create the best content on the blockchain I can . That being said, getting on the radars of others isn't that easy here. So waiting for a 'whale' to upvote or engage with you can take some time.
Time I'm willing to invest in for sure...
I'm here for the long run and have a multi-year plan for developing my brand on this platform.
'Bots' are helping me on my journey!
As a content creator on this platform I look at every time I invest in a bot, I'm not doing it for any return other than...Getting my stuff out there to more people. And it's working, slowly but surely.
Is it a perfect solution? Nope. And I'm sure things will improve overtime. But as a content creator who WANTS to promote his stuff on the blockchain...I enjoy the services you and other provide.
Well said, @jongolson. Creating your best content is all you can really do and I know that you do that very well. Glad we got connected early on!
One of the complaints we've seen is that bots are "mindless" and are upvoting crap posts. Of course this is subjective... but there really are spammers, plagiarizers, and down-right con artists using our promotion services. Luckily there are people like @themarkymark who have spent countless (and thankless) hours combatting this and creating the ultimate Steemit blacklist.
And with the latest @postpromoter code created by @yabapmatt I believe @buildawhale's blacklist (run by @themarkymark) is added in by default. I know that I've personally added his blacklist to my service and many others have done the same. And this goes back to what Matt said about those running these services being trustworthy. We've all got to do our part to be responsible and ultimately the community will judge for themselves.
You guys all have a tough job and thankless one too. And I get the arguments from all sides, there is a ton of garbage out there...But like you said man, in your comments above...Content promotion is key for all media sites. You have to take the good with the bad. That's social media LOL The more money coming into STEEM though, I think is great.
I had the same experience myself when I first started, and I've heard from many other people like us whom these services have really helped. I appreciate your support and I wish you the best of luck on your Steem journey!
Oh for sure. They are a huge help. By no means I guarantee though. And I think if people have the right mindset when using them, and follow it up with the engagement, etc...It's a great game plan for success long term here.