Yes, I guess the current system of purchasing bot votes is an improvement over the days where steemit users would all just upvotes their friends. 

However, it still feels strange to have to purchase bots in order for your content to be recognized.

I think good authors have the mindset that their excellent content will speak for themselves and they will get the recognition that it deserves without having to spend money.

I know when I first started, I got pretty bummed out that my articles made $0.00 when I thought I did a pretty good job.

Anyways, I know that the ideal situation is to have your content recognized without paying but I guess the current system is of course much better than the old one whereby people just upvote their friends. Good post =)