The Internet is chock-full of gratuitous “rewards,” and let the record show that there are plenty of people out there who do by their responses prove that Pavlov was right.   (And, BTW, I do not mean that as a “sideways slap” at anyone, so if anyone thinks so, get over it.)   I think it best just to ignore such things completely.   Take PerlMonks, for instance.

PerlMonks is not about “you,” or “me,” or anyone else except:   the bloke who’s stuck and asking a question.   To me, this site exists to answer that question; nothing more, nothing ever.   It’s not about anyone’s personality or tact(lessness), although both of these are inevitable in any human gathering.   It’s not about “promoting Perl” (a good language stands for itself and needs no benefactors). It’s about answering that question.

If hearing a little bell ring makes you salivate, and if salivating makes you answer a question well or somehow induces you to do that, such that it gets done, then I suppose the little bell served its purpose.   Goody for you and for your little dog.   But my attitude is basically that of Clark Gable in Gone With The Wind.   If somebody simply finds my answers useful from time to time, then that is enough.