Quote from: meherethere on July 03, 2018, 02:32:04 AM

Yea sorry I wasn't clear, I'm familiar with the implementation of the merit system.

I was basically asking if you think it's really the best system to base forum rank on post count? Then ranting about how merit comes in too late in the process. There are a lot of people with undeserved ranks from the way the old system was transferred over sure but raw post count being such an important metric is my issue.

I think the merit system is a necessary evil, since the last December's hype. Try to picture it as a city: many people living in there, from all over the world, some good, some bad, but in quite a balance. Suddenly, a massive number of people is willing to enter the city, and want to have the same privileges than the others, even if the others have been in there for years, building that city, step by step. New rules were necessary since the December's bitcoin hype happened, because, suddenly, the number of persons joining the forum was enormous. Besides, most of the people coming have as an only goal to make money, for they heard about bitcoin first and how many people become rich, and then about the forum, a place in "where you can earn bitcoin". Most of the newcomers don't know anything about Bitcoin, about the forum history, about the Blockchain technology, they are just in here because they want to earn instead of learn.
So there was necessary to change the rules, due to the behavior of mostly all the newcomers. Of course, there are exceptions, there are bad legendaries, and really good newbies, but these exceptions are few, and you can't determine what an old member deserves based on a new rule. All the ones that entered in here before the merit system didn't have in their minds the merit system, so, how can judge them with this mindset. Also, some older members have changed their mindset since the merit system was introduced (included me), and, since there, they are trying their best.
So, is that fair? Yes, it is. Many people built the forum since the very beginning and yes, many deserve a recognition for it, because they didn't come in here for the money, they collaborate for years to the forum develop, to the discussion, they engaged amazing debates even when bitcoin was a huge mystery to society.
Of course, a new system always brings a collateral damage: to the forum, that there are some bad ones with a high-rank account, but, even so, we still have the trust system, if you see red numbers under a name, just be careful.
To newcomers, well, you can say that it is nor fair, but to me the merit system absolutely is. If you are a newcomer with the will of learning, with something in your mind beyond making some bucks, you will be rewarded, you will be able to rank and you will be respected by the community. But, even if you don't have any interest in the forum, you can work, make your bucks in here and, as well as you don't break the rules, you will be in here as long as you want.
So, is that unfair? No, it is not, from my point of view it is a neccessary response due the newcomers we have (an average superior to 450 per day, 70% spamming all over the forum).

Your are all allowed to make the difference by hard work, as we have done from the last years.

As a final addition, check this: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=recent;patrol This is the "Patrol Page", and you will be able to watch in there all the posts made by newbies... check the "quality"