I doubt that it is auto up votes that are the real issue.
This is what some of us were trying to tell you a long time ago, but at the time you refused to even see it, or contemplate that it was possible. Some of us were rubbished for stating the the obvious, or doing the smallest amount of background work. It's good to now see that you have finally understood the reality of it all.
I have never been against auto up votes. They are needed. It takes time to find things to vote on, so when a whale finds things, (meaning people), he may put them on auto vote because they had good content at one point. Hive Block Chain, whether people want to see it or not, is an investment tool for many many people. No one wants to baby sit their investment for 8 hours a day. So they use tools to do that auto up votes are one of them.
I do not like the auto up votes and do wish people could vote manually and review what they are voting on, that is never going to happen unless people accept the fact that some accounts can give out $40.00 comment rewards.
I have always held the position that it is your vote, use it as you see fit. I have offered suggestions to new users about how to use their vote effectively, such as voting on other people and not self voting, but that is all it has ever been from me suggestions.
If a person wants to slam a down vote on someone, then that is their prerogative, it doesn't make it right, it doesn't make it wrong, it makes it a part of the system. I wish it would not happen. I wish people would use the mute function more often for what they find offensive on Hive, but they are not going to do that.
There are and always will be people that simply want to cause trouble, there are and always will be people that want to silence any voice and opinion except their own. Their are and always will be people whining about it and never offering a solution. I have offered up a solution, it went no where and never will go anywhere because people do not want to take responsibility for their own actions!
autovotes are exactly like patreon subscriptions
and the devs specifically said they wanted to add a subscription option to HIVE
and then these guys pretend autovotes are teh evilz
It takes me over three hours to manually vote some days. While I really want to grow my holdings, I know I am going to need to use auto votes some, but I really want to keep my Manual votes going too. So It will get complicated one day.
great work, either way, it doesn't make any sense to "punish" autovotes