I kind of disagree with you @ O.P, because I believe that bitcointalk can either be an office or not, depending on the individual and what skill he/she has to offer to the public, because for example, people who create
"campaign Signature, campaign Avatar, and campaign Manager", bitcointalk can be an office to them. But for an ordinary individual who has no skill to offer, bitcointalk can not be an office to such person.
List of things newbie should know as a beginner
~ The purpose of bitcointalk is to share knowledge of cryptocurrency across each others
And likewise those who has skill can also earn money by offering their services
~ Having earning in mind to register in bitcointalk will make you as a Newbie not to know the advantages and disadvantages of bitcoin
Yes, it depends, but only when you have a high demand skill to offer as a newbie to start earning immediately you come into the forum
~ Don't be conscious of merit but understand the system of making quality posts
Yes, because merit is meant to be a reward for quality contribution or solution to a problem answered.