"As for getting noticed....rather hard for me not to. I stand out in a crowd, I refuse to conform and I speak my piece. Although I do strive to be civil about it."

Always stand your ground! As far as self-voting goes, it all depends on how you look at it and from which school of thought you are coming from, and whether you're also considering other people's styles simultaneously. And as with everything, there's what you can do, what you should do, what you ought to do, and what you end up doing. The more you look at the blockchain and consider the various paradigms of others, the more timey wimey it gets. Despite the rumors, there are no true Scotsman here, save for everyone who suggests they are, and that includes me either in this post or posts prior.