I'm sorry, if I had said something wrong. There's no one here above any rules. If you have to earn merits, then you should consider learning and that's the simple truth. All that everyone has said so far (and more to come) might just seems to you like an insult but for someone who is ready to learn it would be taken as an advice. Just try and read all the post links you have been directed to and you will see from months to come, when you start improving you post quality and making good contributions merits surely will be given. There's no other way to go about it.

As for what you are suggesting it cannot be possible as other senior members were ones a newbie and if they had not made made good contributions to the forum then they wouldn't be able to rank up also.