as a newbie, i think it is just fair to have a merit system because spamming can be avoided with it. the merit is given only to those posts who deserve to have. your posts must be knowledgable, useful and helpful to other members. the quantity of posts doesn't matter in this forum, it is the quality of your post that matters. do not focus on how long you have been a member and how much post you already have, but focus on the quality of the post you are sharing in this forum.