Randomness

On Vote Trading, and Using Votes as Leverage

Written on August 16.

For anyone who doesn't know, vote trading is strictly forbidden by the Wattpad terms of service/code of conduct.

Naturally, that means it shouldn't be taking place. Still, I stumble across this more often than I'd expect. While some people don't understand that they're not allowed to do so, many seem to do it despite knowing it's not allowed.

For anyone who's not aware, vote trading is a process in which you offer to vote on someone's story in exchange for them returning the favor.

This is a form of bribery, and is not appropriate by any means.

Votes play a large role in the Wattpad algorithm. Your read-to-vote ratio helps determine whether or not your story makes the hotlist, or what your story's rankings will be on that day. A drastic increase in votes can mean a drastic increase in ranking, especially if your story is just picking up traction.

So why is vote trading harmful if you can benefit from it?

You're offering to help someone out, at least it might appear that way.

If the person you propose this to is unaware that it goes against the WP terms of service, they may engage in the trade no questions asked. Doing so and being caught can result in a suspension of all involved parties, and possibly more serious punishments if the process continues on.

Secondly, the deal goes both ways. If the person follows through, and you refuse to return the favor, you end up losing trust and, in the long run, possibly lose a lot of credibility among users in your particular WP community.

Asking for votes as payment? Is this also against the rules?

It sure is.

I see this a lot, and it's honestly worse than regular vote trading.

Say you want to enter a contest, or get someone to make you a graphic. You've read through the rules and offered services, and everything looks good.

Then, you see the 'payment' section. The person requests that, in exchange for joining the contest or getting your cover, you vote on x amount of chapters from the person's book.

This often means that either you vote on the person's story, or you can't enter into the contest/graphic shop.

Again, this is bribery.

This should be reported, and can result in the suspension or termination of the offending account.

This practice can be, and often is, used to cheat the algorithm. If you like the person's story and you choose to vote because you found it enjoyable, that's great. However, if that person is forcing you to do so in exchange for services of any kind, it's both inappropriate and anxiety-provoking.

This sort of demand will not only hurt the person who's using votes as leverage, but can also get you in trouble if you follow through. If you don't feel comfortable reporting this sort of behavior, that's understandable. Still, if you see it, make sure the person understands that it can get them into a conflict with WP. If they weren't aware, then you've potentially helped them out.