I found the new ranking requirement is not logic. It requires way too many merit points in order to gain higher rankings. For example, I am a Member now, and from Member to Full Member:
Requirements:
Member 60 10
Full Member 120 100
I need 60 posts and 90 Merit points. How many posts I can get 90 merit points? Well, some posts I just reply to other people's posts, with my comments, for those, I probably get no merit points. I need to post long and original info or thoughts in order to get merit points. Say every 3 posts I get 1 merit point, I'd do 270 activities to get 90 merit points, and this is probably the best scenario, and admin will need to notice every of my good posts
Requirements:
Member 60 10
Full Member 120 100
I need 60 posts and 90 Merit points. How many posts I can get 90 merit points? Well, some posts I just reply to other people's posts, with my comments, for those, I probably get no merit points. I need to post long and original info or thoughts in order to get merit points. Say every 3 posts I get 1 merit point, I'd do 270 activities to get 90 merit points, and this is probably the best scenario, and admin will need to notice every of my good posts
Meanwhile we see accounts of "Sr. Members" with 250 merits and barely 300 posts only because they were registered before you
And those accounts work as a source of possible scammers for newbies
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This is how the ranking system should be imho:
5 merits + 100 posts - Jr. Member
10 merits + 200 posts - Member
20 merits + 300 posts - Full Member
50 merits + 500 posts - Senior Member
100 merits + 1000 posts - Hero Member
250 merits + 2000 posts - Legendary Member
Without the free merits from signup date
You seem to NOT understand.
Even though I understand what you are attempting to say, there are no "free merits"
The merits that were distributed on January 24, 2018 were an attempt to approximate merits that members should have based on then rank and recent activity as of then.
It's a concept called grandfathering, and which does not mean that you start over (like you seem to be suggesting) but intending NOT to take away anything from members who were operating under the previous system (that did not have merits, as you recognize).
Look at this account:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=106181
249 posts
250 merits
No merits received or sent in the last 120 days lol
And they have the audacity to say I need to earn 100 merits just to become a full member, and I can't even ask for them or I get banned, this just makes me feel like:
1) I should leave the forum, because it's not worth it
2) Or I should buy an account, but I don't want to since I am not a scammer
Admin should understand that every post makes him earn more traffic and therefore money in the long term, every post directly or indirectly feeds the platform and the community. You shouldn't work on a way to obstacle new members but on a way to obstacle scammers, for example by spreading escrow and middleman services across the website, rather than letting people deal with sketchy PMs.
Hell you could even have a contract system moderated by the source of merits, but no you decided to punish all new members for the abuse of some.