I think, that I am not the only one:
I did not receive a single merit since this new system started.
Maybe its because I am not making friends here. Maybe I am posting in the wrong threads. Maybe my postings don't reach that high quality which is needed for earning merits ... I don't know. I don't take care about it. It doesn't matter. In the meantime, I have said goodbye to the idea of being able to ascend again at all.
Again: That doesn't matter.
But getting a spammer's stamp on my account ... nah ...
that matters.
So please take care, that you don't hit the wrong members when you try to solve a big (yes! it is!) problem here.
Regards!
McW
edit:
You should take a look here:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=3121688.0It is very hard to earn merits. And when you let them drop every months, you will leave a lot of frustrated members behind...
That's another area people like the op don't see. Most merits gotten here, come from friends sharing their merits within their cliques and when you don't have friends, you might last forever without a merit except a good Samaritan stops by your post and merits it. Aol I stand to disagree with the OPs suggestions of hiding signature.