[andrewflnr]

Maybe. That's a bit of a different problem: similar mechanic, but much weaker forces with some different pros and cons. Maximizing imaginary internet points is qualitatively different from maximizing actual power in the form of money. I think there's still room to experiment with aligning the incentives on things like karma for community-driven moderation.

[klez]

If moderation is the problem maybe only allow downvoting? Of course that may bring to the surface a different set of problems (no solution is without drawbacks), but it removes the "numbers go up" incentives.