Hi again @perceptualflaws!
I'm not going to lie and say I don't use the bots but I definitely wouldn't if there were other options.
Absolutely I believe that most honest authors hate the fact that they have to use Upvote Services, yet it is absolutely impossible to do without. If you and I were to not use Upvote Services, we might as well not post anything as it will never get seen!
I can certainly understand the justifiable anger relating to the abuse and how people are using them to upvote really shoddy work that has taken no time.
Indeed, there will always be individuals who will make use of a system which is ripe for abuse. As such, there needs to be a better system. I cannot state how important it is that change is made in this regard if we were to see any significant progress of the platform.
As of right now, my proposal hasn't gained enough traction, and I definitely intend to put more time into making sure that it gets the light of day it requires for action to be taken.
I'll definitely check out what @raised2b has written
Thank you for dropping by, leaving your insightful comment and reading my content! It means a lot!