I have a few folks I auto-vote, but I also make a point to go back and read their stuff when I'm on - mostly its so that when I disappear for a week randomly because of life nonsense that they don't feel the absence. That said, I set that up when I had a 20 cent vote, and now I'm working to get back to a decent vote. But, regardless, I agree that following trails a lot is a bit of a trap.