So I have never used bid bots and it definitely factors into whether I vote on people I have to say. The self voting has never bothered me, as long as people aren't posting a bunch of times a day. I have a rule for myself that if I end up posting a second post in a day, which is rare, I only give myself a 25% vote on it. I don't vote my own comments and I keep track of my self voting percentage, making sure i keep it under ten percent and closer to five, mostly I end up around seven to eight. I would certainly give the no self voting in the beginning a try though, I'll have to remember to unclick the button :)
Someone told me that Ned plans on selling votes...have you heard anything about that? I've heard other rumors that he's been encouraging the practice, but I'm not one to put stock in rumors until they have merit.