I've tried before, many have, and in an ideal world what you say will happen but I think it won't.
An example:
Many people enter the #weekend-engagement concept, drop a post and fuck off. I've been voting them commensurate with the quality of post and sending to curangel where deserving. So many don't come back to engage with me in the week though, just drop their post on a weekend and disappear. A lost opportunity, because if they engaged they'd get more votes on comments and, once a relationship is formed, their other posts as well. But nope, so many drop and disappear. It doesn't make sense to me that a person would be so short sighted.
That's ok though, more of my vote is left over for people like you, your comments and all, and others like you.
If people won't change their ways they'll earn less from me. Will that catch on? Maybe not.
Lots of folks seem to run from one opportunity to the next trying to maximize gain and wind up being behind the eight ball the whole way. For those people, I don't think they'll get the message from withholding a vote, but with repeated slights they may slow down enough to realize something's different. Putting down roots is the way, show you are rock solid and dependable and build from that firm base. I think that's an issue with new user retention as well, huge expectation for tiny effort.
Yep, for sure, but most just want a fast pay day and don't think too much into the future, Hive and real life, and then wonder why they have fuck all at some point down the line. That's when they blame everyone else but themselves. Predictable behaviour.