Let people upvote themselves. If you don't allow that, they're just going to find other ways around it with different accounts. I don't think personal upvotes are a huge issue. Also, if the content is great, people WILL upvote it.

But, just because you think it's great, doesn't mean others will think it's great. Likewise, it may be great content, but doesn't reach a mass audience. This is why pop news and terrorist bullshit gets plastered on prime-time TV, b/c it appeals to the masses, and the more viewers, the more money in ads.

Find something that's highly unique that appeals to a larger pool of people, spend the time to actually write it well, choose awesome images that complement the piece and always link to additional reading and sources.