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I saw this challenge which makes the following offer:

Note: A bounty will be placed on this question once it gets 10 upvotes

Although we discourage begging for upvotes, excessive self promotion, and certain misuse of bounties, I don't know how the community feels about a challenge author offering to place a bounty when a certain number of upvotes is received on a challenge.

I don't see any problem with sharing some of the rep gained from upvotes in the form of a bounty on the challenge, but stating this intention up front at the top of the challenge seems similar to begging for upvotes.

How do you feel about this approach?

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    \$\begingroup\$ Personally, I think most old users don't care about that at all. (still, good meta question) \$\endgroup\$
    – DELETE_ME
    Commented Sep 10, 2018 at 1:51
  • \$\begingroup\$ Oh, sorry. That was my question. I can't really afford a bounty, so I usually add one only if I make that much in upvotes from the question... \$\endgroup\$
    – rydwolf
    Commented Sep 22, 2018 at 3:28
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Redwolf Programs as I mentioned, I don't see any problem with returning the rep gained with a bounty. It's only the advertising it up front that seems like a way of encouraging people to upvote. It's not always obvious what's OK and what's not, which is why we have the meta site... So don't worry about it :) \$\endgroup\$
    – trichoplax is on Codidact now
    Commented Sep 22, 2018 at 13:22

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This is not allowed. I've removed the offer.

Stack Exchange works by ensuring that the best information rises to the top. Thus, the motivation for upvoting a post needs to be anchored in the merits of the post, not what has been offered in return.

I don't think offering anything for upvotes (or upvoting to get what's been offered) is any better than targeted upvoting, where you vote for your friends' stuff and they vote for yours. While most online communities I've been a part of tolerate this kind of friendship, Stack Exchange calls it voting rings and has several automatic and manual ways to prevent, reverse and (in severe cases) penalize it.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ What about "Bounty if x entries?" \$\endgroup\$
    – SIGSTACKFAULT
    Commented Sep 21, 2018 at 17:54
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Blacksilver that's an interesting question. Worth posting as a separate question on meta \$\endgroup\$
    – trichoplax is on Codidact now
    Commented Sep 22, 2018 at 15:47

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