Hi @ned, I have been trying my best to draw attention to the issue of "Upvote Services" and how they are upending the entire sorting algorithm here on Steemit.
It may not be too apparent to the larger players here on Steemit, but as a young Steemian, I felt the full effects of the issue.
I have written 2 in-depth posts, diagnosing the issue and another on utopian.io for a proposed solution to the issue. If you have the time, please give it a read as I am putting in a great effort to see something come of it, as it truly is affecting minnows massively and I sincerely believe the proposed solution is a massively positive impact upon Steemit. You can find them here:
Growing Unhappiness with Upvote Bots on Steemit
Proposal for New 'Promoted' Function
Thank you.