Merit is indeed a positive thing in this forum and very welcome to see it and will definetelly help with the quality.
I think though that it would be fairer to start everyone's merit not with the required merit for their RANK (as it did)
but by interpolating their post count between their required merit and the next RANK's required merit
because right now someone just a few posts away from next rank is treated as if they have just entered their RANK
It is fairer if users have been allocated merit points which correspond to their current activities, not with the required merits for their ranks. Additionally, users which have been still lack a couple of activities to be ranked up to higher levels should be exceptions, by which I meant users who will be upgraded in the next counted round of their acitivities. I know that the idea is hard to implement or go back to implement it, everything finished by Theymos, so we have to accept and follow new rules. it just my opinion.