2 months ago after some debate on proofofbrain I made the choice to stop self voting (with the exception of my burn posts) all posts that are not burn posts have been left alone with no self vote.
At first I found this a little hard to do - when you are not a naturally gifted writer it can be a bit hard, especially if the post did not seem to be getting much in the way of upvotes or engagement - that initial self vote used to push my topics into the "hot" section and that probably gave my posts a helping hand.. But in hindsight stopping self voting has been the right thing to do.
The posts I make have to now stand on their own two feet - If they make it into the hot or trending section then it is based on their own merit - not on an initial boost I was able to give them due to my staked POB.
I think this is a more fair system, and if a post of mine makes it to those sections I get more of a sense of achievement.
The self voting debate is always a strong one and its a choice everyone has to make themselves - but I have to say I am converted.
There is times self voting is ok, but for the most part it really is better not to do it I feel.