Webcomics and Website Integrity

I saw a little news post on Comixpedia. There seems to be a dispute about the results of a sketchbattle. Now, I'm sure there all all sorts of arguments about how who does or who does not want popularity. The real issue is the integrity of the website and the polls at sketchbattle.

This is why it actually blows me away that the admin for sketchbattle admits to changing the results. He 'says' he added them back in. But how do we really know this? I mean, now that he has changed them in any way, how can you trust the votes now that he has done something like that? Now the site seems like nothing but a spam magnet to me. It was interesting idea but who knows if any vote counts?

This is where I rope it into webcomics. It sooooo important that to your patrons feel you are reputable. If they for any reason think you cannot be trusted, do you think that any items sold in your store will get sold? Or that you are really the one doing your comic? Or, if they would even provide you with their email for the forum? I sure as hell won't be submitting any of my information to them.