It seems that this theme has not been updated for a long time, we need your help, there is really not much choice for newbie, but now how to collect merits for newbie is always a big problem.
I think you shouldn`t consider getting a merit as a problem. The system was created to reduce the amount of spam in the forum, primarily from newbies and juniors, who came to the forum to earn from bounty campaigns. If you want to make a real contribution to the forum and communicate with crypto-enthusiasts, then the merit system shouldn`t be seen by you as an obstacle. Try to write useful, informative and original posts and merits will come to you.