As Jet Cash, I do try to help posters on the beginners board, as I agree that it is an important place for new members to learn about Bitcoin, and to slide into the Bitcoin Talk community. It does look as if I'm not contributing enough through posting. Entering into discussions with new members is possibly even more important that the awarding of merits in my opinion. I'm a bit ambivalent about all the stats related to board activity, but this one does seem to be useful in encouraging members to support newer members.