Another post blasted to zero in the final hours by a small gang of downvoters. Right up front let me say, this post would have made less than $2.00 if it had reached pay out...this is not about money.
It's about the fact that being aggressively targeted for downvoting is a really negative and unwelcoming experience, and it makes me not want to invest my time and effort on the platform.
@spaminator, @meritocracy, @bgmoha, @freebornsociety and @unsubscribe. So the list appears to be growing, but I still don't know why.
I wrote a fairly lengthy post this morning, saying goodbye, but it's tough. I'm invested here. I've got videos scheduled to post for a ways out and overall, I've got many friends here I enjoy talking to and checking out their work. Thanks to @davidke20, @acidyo, @quochuy, @cmplxty, @mcsamm and so many others, I'm fairly well attached to Hive...leaving almost seems impossible.
It seems impossible, but it isn't.
Truth is, the whole downvote thing is hard not to take personally. To be clear, I've certainly made mistakes as I learned my way around the Hive ecosystem and its unwritten standard of etiquette. I'm not saying I've never deserved a downvote that I got, nor am I saying every one of my posts has truly deserved the full reward it received. What I am saying is, I'm getting downvotes on every comment I make, on pretty much every post I make. Comments that are uplifting, supportive and in my own original words. Posts that are my own work, my own writing, my own photos and my own idea...so...if you don't like my work, why not just scroll on? Is it so bad that you feel obligated to go out of your way to punch it in the face with a downvote? I guess I just thought the whole DV thing was a tool to disincentivize unwanted content and behavior, which I would assume should typically be limited to things that are harmful to the blockchain and its reputation, but if you're pushing out legitmate users, is it not you who is doing harm to the blockchain?
I've seen @meritocracy give votes in both directions, and it makes me curious...what am I doing to elicit this response?
Anyway I wrote this whole other post, saying goodbye and explaining my mindset. Maybe I'll attach that to the end of this post, because I think the reasoning behind my position is pretty sound. Chances are, I won't be using Hive much longer because I just take all this too personally. Case in point - It's 1:30PM here, and I've been obsessing over this matter since I got up and saw it at 5:30AM today. It's not about the small pocket change I lose (which I know, was never mine in the first place even though I paid to boost this particular post), it's about the relentless harassment and the fact that it leaves me upset all day. It's about the fact that the place I come to share my art, my world, my work and my life, has within it some hostile faction that feels obliged to tear down anything I try to put up. I have never considered Hive a source of income; I'm a professional engineer and my wife is a nurse. I just like sharing my world and encouraging others who are trying to do the same, but when it leaves me feeling like this, I know without question I'd be better off keeping my world to myself.
Essentially, under the paradigm I'm currently experiencing, this is not a fun platform to invest my time or energy in. I'm not enjoying this and I'm afraid I'm beginning to dislike the way Hive makes me feel, even though I know it's a percentage of the platform's users who are actually doing it. I'm hoping it's a mistake that can be corrected, as I know Hive won't miss me as much as I'll miss Hive. So I have to try to correct this and, if it can't be corrected, I will have to cut ties so I'm not wasting whole days upset about something so trivial.
As I wrote the aforementioned post, I also began withdrawing all delegations and powering down (I apologize, @strega.azure.) If I end up staying, I will put individual delegations back in place, but chances are I'll just power down and leave.
One Last Hope
Seeing as most of the parties downvoting me appear automated, I thought I might try to make one last appeal to the individuals with apparent control over these mechanisms. I'm casting a wide net here because I don't really know who has control over the various accounts. If you don't belong in this tag list, chances are I won't be bothering you much longer anyway, but feel free to let me know if you want to; truth is it was difficult to come up with a list of people who might be able to help, so I just did my best. Any assistance or information I can get that will help me figure out how to start enjoying Hive again will be sincerely appreciated.
@themarkymark, @steemcleaners, @guiltyparties, @anyx, @patrice, @logic, @pjau, @hivewatchers, @hivewatcher, @adm, @azabu, @acrom64, @willowranger, @vxn666, @buildawhale, @upmyvote, @ocdb, @ocd, @meesterboom, @citizensmith, @b00m, @azircon, @erikah, @solominer, @nonameslefttouse, @logic, @galenkp, @chekohler, @nathanpieters, @stayten, @nathan007, @theevil, @tracyyork, @aadamada, @ac-cheetah, @alejos7ven, @symbionts, @papi.mati, @alexmove, @truthforce,
Best I can tell, the power is in your hands on this one...if you want me gone, I'll go quietly...just keep doing what you're doing and things will shake out just so.
The thing is, I'm just a normal/typical user; I don't make tons of money, I don't very often repost things from online, I don't very often get political or religious, etc - so I have to assume (or hope?) that I'm on these downvote lists by mistake. So this, I suppose, is my last effort. I'm not here to rant or flip out, simply to appeal to those who appear to be at the helm of the downvote swarm to consider leaving me alone or telling me what it is I've done wrong so I can do better. If it's content quality you're after, tell users how and where to improve, don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. Or do; It's your world, I'm just a guy who wanted to post flute videos in it...
I have no clue why you tagged me. You have no clue why you tagged me.
I don't know you, though I'm certain I've seen you around. I don't live under a rock wearing a blindfold and headphones. I've seen and heard a lot of shit in my day. These situations are not new to me.
I came here expecting to see a meltdown with shit all over the walls as you smear everyone in sight with absurdities over a matter of a couple bucks. I came here expecting to see someone eager to turn their back on everything and everyone they pretend to care about over a matter of a few bucks and the actions of one or two individuals, all while those individuals, are not me, yet I'm being dragged into it.
Instead, my first impression of you, is you have a good head on your shoulders. Maybe a little bit naïve and gullible since I've a strong feeling I know which bit of bullshit led you to believe I'm somehow involved. You're a bright peaceful man, so didn't that content seem a little peculiar to you?
No dude. It's in your hands. Not mine or anyone's; yours. I don't represent Hive, I represent myself. Same for you. Same for everyone. Decentralized. Those downvoting represent their interests. Apparently your account was compromised? Where did I learn that? Here, under this post, in the comment section.
Use your words. Use your brain. Get that sorted out.
For the most part, I'm an artist and entertainer. I'm invested, sure. I care about the place and the people. I rarely use my downvote button unless it's a clear case of useless nonsense and I stumble into it.
I'll do my best to not take this personally, though I do have a new reminder and a lengthy list of reasons why I should, but that's not all on your shoulders. I do my best to not allow shit like this to ruin my experience here. I am sick of being blamed for stuff that has nothing to do with me though.
I'll follow you now. Some of your content might be interesting and it's been quiet in my feed.
Have a nice day.
Yay! 🤗
Your content has been boosted with Ecency Points, by @davidke20.
Use Ecency daily to boost your growth on platform!
Support Ecency
Vote for new Proposal
Delegate HP and earn more
It's not my problem and don't know the case, but had a quick look at your account and I can't see any message from Hivewatchers, but I think you've been blacklisted because of minnowschool.
You should clarify this with Hivewatchers on Discord. If I'm right, it takes one permission removed and the problem is solved.
Wow, thank you! If this is the case, it would be nice to have a solution that allows me to keep enjoying Hive. Thank you for this response!
No worries. I'm just guessing, so you need to talk to Hivewatchers.
I asked in the Discord, but also went ahead and removed myself from minnowschool. Thank you for your help!
I don't even know what minnowschool is (I saw Hivewatchers mentioning it in Discord), but you're welcome :)
There is no mystical mechanism that I know of so I don't know why you would tag me.
I downvote but I don't believe I have downvoted you?
Same here.
Hi @erikah, I apologize for tagging you incorrectly. Thank you for responding!
No worries, I left you another comment.
I’m just looking for help and cast a wide net, so far I have not been able to determine conclusively who has control over this account, so I tagged anyone who has been involved in similar situations in the past. I appreciate your response, and apologize for tagging you incorrectly.
If spaminator is involved you could ask in the hivewatchers discord. They might have an answer but the others, probably not. You have had no interaction with them ever?
No significant interactions at least. I tend to comment a lot, so I’ve had a few limited interactions with some, but all names were just found by searching online and finding articles about the accounts that are downvoting me. I’m pretty beginner level here, so if there’s a better way to find this kind of info, I’m just not aware of it. I did try joining the HiveWatchers Discord, so far have not found a good place to ask but I will continue to look. I really do appreciate your response, especially now knowing that you have nothing to do with the situation (sorry again for bringing you in). Stay well!
Tag me again and I will downvote you
Roger that. Thank you for your patience with me, I will not bother you again.
I wish I wasn't as confused about this place, so I could offer some assistance... as such, I can only wish you good luck! I hope someone can figure it out!!
Lol thank you! I think it may be resolved :) Honestly I’m surprised but now that we’re here I’m glad I didn’t do what everyone thought I was gonna do and flip out! Lol
Congratulations @albuslucimus! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next target is to reach 59000 upvotes.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Check out our last posts:
Support the HiveBuzz project. Vote for our proposal!
Hopefully this is a mistake man, I’ll check back later!
Thanks my dude. I think it might have been because I was letting minnowschool vote for me. I’m not sure if this is the case, but I pulled back voting rights and am waiting to see if this helps. If I learn anything that can help save people from the snares of automatic downvoting algorithms, I’ll probably share that in a post as well.
Ah that makes sense. I don’t recommend following a voting trail unless it’s one of the established ones like Curangel, OCD or Curie.
One thing that bothers me is the automatic down votes without really notifying you of why it’s happening. I get it’s hard to police a lot of things but situations like this are where you get caught in the crossfire unnecessarily.
If you want to follow a voting trail, Curie is one that tries to help support newer authors a lot and is an excellent program. Even if you follow it at 30% it should return some good curation rewards for you!
I’m just glad some people have been good about this. Erikah is awesome!
Yeah I broke away from the minnow thing, although it was a really cool group while I was gaining traction - I think for now I’ll just take some time to curate manually and stay off the trails.
I’m surprised to find that this was intended to alert me to come to the discord to find out my account was compromised. I mean, we have things like HiveBuzz that send automated messages, so I think something like “Your account appears to have been compromised, please speak to [person/people] on [this] Discord channel for assistance…” may lead to more resolution and less public meltdowns. But all in all, I’m just happy it seems to be worked out. I’ve got a lot of work here now, and have plans for up to two years out - so I don’t want to go anywhere else!
Yeah dude I hear you! The hive watchers group definitely leaves a lot to be desired with their actions. Hopefully we can get them to be better about these things so we can prevent things like this from escalating!
Glad this sounds like it’s behind us man! Just go heavier on the upvotes and spend the power in the morning and at night and you’ll be good lol
Yeah honestly I think it was overall a good thing that it happened - I tend to feel like I learn more from these things than I do from normal day-to-day operations.
Woke up and saw the rest replied. Fingers are crossed 🖕 oh wait... Wrong finger🤞
HAHAHAHA!!! Yeah it looks like it might have actually been a mistake? Guess I get a temporary pardon :)
Lol I don't even use this site, so I don't see why you tagging me or how this helps? Did you even look at my profile? I am downvoted by the same people lol so wtf?
I apologize, it was a desperate reach for help. Pretty much everyone I tagged had no business being bothered with this, I was just hoping to find a needle in a haystack. Sorry for the confusion, I hope you’re having an awesome day!
Well, even if you end up leaving, this post should live forever as the perfect example of how to properly address the issues you're having!
I'm glad to see that it looks like you're getting things sorted out, Hive would definitely be less interesting without your content.
Thanks brother, I appreciate that! I don't plan on going anywhere at this point. It's tough, many of these downvote systems are pretty labor-intensive so automating makes sense, but it can be challenging to handle calmly when you get sucked into it and have no idea who to talk to. At any rate, it looks like this was neither intentional nor unresolvable, so now I just have new reasons to stick around. May have pissed off a few folks, but hopefully not enough to make any enemies :) BTW, you were one of the ones I thought of in my list of cool peeps, but I couldn't remember how to spell your name and I was trying to hurry - you and @driptorchpress I always remember by the awesome beards hahaha
Lol if that half a cent my downvote took hurt that much maybe you should just log the fuck off and get a real job. jfc youre a whiny bitch
I guess you dug a while and found this? I don’t remember mentioning you, but if I did, I apologize for the offense you’ve taken from it. Hopefully we won’t run into one another again.
Your account is compromised. The bots are downvoting to get you to come in and take notice that the keys were leaked. Please change your keys as soon as you are on a computer where it's safe to do so and save them offline. I checked your account just now, you don't have any withdraw routes or similar, which is a good sign at least. I'm taking you off the warning list since you're recovering.
There's gotta be a better way, creating a new account for these "downvote tags" is really not that hard than lumping them in with spaminator.
Looks like I misread your message.
Nvm, it was discussed in more details in dm's.
We're talking on MM now. I missed your first message in Nov. @albuslucimus DM me when you can, on the Openhive Chat off hive.blog maybe or Discord.
Hopefully it’s a mistake, Albus is a great dude and has been solid here! I’m curious where we’re the keys stolen/leaked? Is it the minnow school thing? That way I can advise some of the other newer people that I’m helping get some traction. Thanks!
Thanks @cmplxty!
Hello.
schoolofminnows/teacherofsteem/schoolofsteem is a scammer from Steemit that got hold of hundreds of keys from different accounts to defraud.
Thank you so much for this response! I will change these as soon as I can get to a computer without IT restrictions.