It’s likely something many people wonder at some point, until they find out how the difference between the Merit counter (clearly visible) and the sMerit counter (somewhat subtly visible when you proceed to Merit an account, or go to Profile-> Merit -> Merit from the path structure, leading you here).

Back in the day, I created a small poll on Beginners & Help to precisely see how readers there saw the matter. The poll didn’t really get that many answers, but it did exemplify that some people were unaware at the time. I count myself amongst those in the early days of the Merit System. What can I say …