>If this is about promotion, then there's already a way out: promotion via burning where posts are mixed with the normal trending/hot page (see SCOT).

This. Has anyone tried to pull request this feature into Steemit itself? Is Steemit Inc. receptive to that model? Failing that, if bidbots are about promotion, I think they should be revenue negative at outset. Just as the community began to enforce bidbots narrowing their vote windows to not vote on content late in the 7 day period, we could equally enforce standards that bidbot votes should result in an initial 20% loss on investment. In what world are advertisers paid to run their ads? If a promoted post can’t make up the difference through organic votes that follow then it deserves to lose money. 

I also don’t see bidbots as a respectable use of passive investor delegation. With the rise of projects that pay out a fair share of curation rewards, like Actifit, Wherein, etc. as well as new passive curation services like Curangel, I don’t think it’s beneficial to encourage bidbots as investment opportunities.

The “next EIP” doesn’t need to be a hardfork. It should be a combination of revamping the inbuilt promoted post/Steem burn system, promoting new organic curation/passive investment models, and enforcing community standards on revenue negative bidbot expectations, if simple changes to promoted posts don’t greatly reduce bidbot usage on their own... which I actually believe they would.

In the end the market will decide, now that the market has the ability to decide.  

In my opinion, people are growing weary of accounts with massive amounts of STEEM telling them what's good for them, especially when those voices seek to preserve the old way of doing things.   People with massive amounts of STEEM taking an about-face with their actions are really resonating right now.  A lot of that pent up #oldsteem apathy is falling away, and people are being energized for change.  

Your recent actions have shown that you chose to be at the vanguard instead of trying to dig in, which should be applauded.

There would have been so many options to decrease the efficiency of Bid-Bots - if really needed. Actually they might become STEEM Banks in the end, isn't that funny?

I started to pull back some delegations in order to get myself into curating more actively and I feel this can be a new beginning where I can organically get more followers who engage with my posts as oppose to just look for their votes to get me rewards. In the long run I think this can be the starting point for a good part of newbies to the crypto world and I would like to have a better reputation and audience to when that day comes. I think bid-bots felt like the only way to go in the past and I think it feels good to get rid of that idea at least partially. As a developer I made a few front runners and other small bots to counter the huge bid-bots and I always felt I couldn't fight against them, today I think I can just ignore them and focus on other stuff that might produce more benefits to myself. 

Thank you for being rational and working towards new steem.. Don't know if you'll see this since you muted me ages ago, but nonetheless I'm happy to see you're moving forward. It would be great to see you reply to traf in your recent post about burning and smartsteem curation.

In regards to this post I think with your following and almost rock star of steem status your desire to top trending by buying it was excessive and I'm glad it did not work out the way you intended.. Have some faith in the system and if a, post adds value it will be resteemed, discussed, and rewarded appropriately..

I also think you have mistakenly said if the botting is outrageous do not flag it, when of course you meant to say "not outrageous" I think this is as subjective as anything else and IMHO and others we felt coming from you it was indeed outrageous. If only because you're highly regarded and get plenty of eyes so not showing our dissatisfaction on your methods would be a disservice to not just steem but also you as its not a good look for new steem..

Great bots got you where you are you say, move on and trust your following and your peers, or maybe you don't?  I dunno