Has anyone else noticed the amount of shameless self-promotion currently going on in comment threads?
If you've been using steemit fairly regularly recently you've probably seen this countless times: A completely fine, sometimes even helpful comment, quickly followed by a shoehorned "check this unrelated post I made!" stream of links to the user's own submissions. This of course is only to be expected, especially with the amount of competition and the difficulty in getting posts seen. More than this though, is the influence one vote can make on a post. This makes it extremely tempting for people to comment everywhere, on everything, barely passing the minimum requirements to put their post above absolute spam, yet totally transparent in the commentator's true purpose.
This is how Steemit will be ruined.
But only, Ladies and Gentlemen, if we let it. The voting system has promoted an absurd amount of kindness in the comment sections, in fact Steemit is probably the nicest place on the internet right now, even beating out strong contenders like recipe-sharing websites and your clueless Grandma's facebook page. This is of course just a thin veil of kindness over a burning lust for money. But who cares anyway? If people are being kind on the internet then shoddy motivations aside, this is probably not a bad thing to continue. As the newness of the site begins to die true colours will no doubt come out - and that, too, is a good thing.
But drowning comment sections with empty self-advertisement is not.
There is something to be said of the shit-flinging websites. They're honest. A little over the top, maybe, but still real, still actually expressing opinions - be they real, fake, exaggerated, or poorly expressed - they're still comments made about or in reply to the subject. But these arrogant "Good post btw look at these 10 links of mine" have so little to do with the subjects themselves that we run the risk of drowning real comments (which is really the best thing about Steemit if you ask me) with facades made only to serve the callous interests of the people who see Steemit not as a content-sharing website, but as a way to trick people into getting them a little bit richer.
So what do we do with these people?
This is the tricky part. It's easy to say - downvote and move on. But what if they have given a thoughtful and on-topic comment before their self-promotional signature? Well perhaps the latter evil negates the former good. But I think in some cases a different solution is in order.
The Hall of Shame.
Okay, maybe not literally a Hall of Shame. But if you find one of these posts, one of the worst offenders, offering nothing and attempting to trick people into serving only their needs - post it here. If we find it suitable we could all downvote their comment. Or, perhaps the better option, is to collectively ask this person: Why are you doing this to yourself? If you want upvotes, bring quality content. You get paid for your comments the same way you get paid for your submissions, and tricking new users with a slight gesture of friendship won't get you any money anyway. So remove the unnecessary additions of your post, join Steemit as a fucking human being and maybe if somebody likes what you have to say - they'll check your submissions out anyway.
If you're reading this and realise that you yourself are guilty - don't be afraid. Just adjust your behaviour, and all will be forgiven. :) And do not be ashamed of promoting yourself if there is just cause - helping inform new people etc is commendable, and having the direct source present to handle questions is always a good thing. It is only those who promote with disregard for others who should change their ways.