Bitcoin Forum

When we make a valuable post, we get rewarded in the form of "merits" here - a system injected to stop spam and encourage high quality comments. But, a question immediately struck to my mind and I thought I should definitely ask this as it's something really interesting.

When a user deletes their post/thread or when a mod deletes a user's posts/threads (least possiblity) due to low quality which has 1 or more merits given to it, what will happen to those merits? As we're aware that merits once given cannot be reverted back, will it still show in addition to the total merits in that user's profile?

The merit stays even if the topic/post with the merit gets deleted.

If you check my merit history, I received 2 merits from a reply I had on this deleted post: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5031940.msg45873152#msg45873152

While the thread is already deleted for some reason(I don't remember what the thread was about), the merits are still on my profile.

Merits are not reverted if the post is deleted, so the receiver keeps the received sMerit, and the sender loses it to say. I’ve only seen @Theymos revert sMerit TXs once, in a case of flagrant abuse from a hacked account. Even so, he did post that abuse could be treated in the same manner if the case was of concern.

Therefore, merit assigned to a post that was later deleted, maintains its accounting implications like any other non-deleted merit. The only thing is that when you look at the merit history on the user profile, both the Sender and the Receiver will have a TX indicating that the merit was given/received on a Deleted Post.

That does not necessarily mean that merit abuse can be hidden from sight by deleting the post. Some forum members monitor the amount of merit that is involved around deleted posts (amount, from user/to user, etc.), surpasing the 120 day limit on the profile, and it is even possible to recover the deleted posts for some.

This is the usual trick of some merits abusers, they delete the post after sending the merits, and then everyone does not know the quality of this post, so you have no evidence to accuse the abuse.
I tend to treat 99% of deleted posts with the merit gets as abuse. Because 99% of the time, high quality posts will not be deleted.
If I find someone(Usually those has only 1 merit) has merit, but I can't find the post when it gets merit, I think that merit is suspicious.

I believe that merits on a deleted post should be burnt, regardless of the reason for the deletion. The associated sMerits should also be reduced if they have not been spent.

Yes, if anyone create any topic on this forum and if anyone give any merits on their topic. Then if they delete their topic or if any moderator feel that their topic is not useful for us then if topic get deleted, their merit will show on their profile. Cause given merits cannot be reverted back.

Hope you understand sir :)

Exactly what I'm talking about that if your created topic get any merits by anyone and if topic get deleted by any reasons then merits will be on profile.

You are right sir. If I'm not wrong So many Bitcointalk user following this way to get merits by wrong way. They create low quality  topic to get merits from their friends who have merits and after getting their merits from others persons they deleted their topic. I think we should be careful about this type of merits abuse.

I also agree with you sir. If we get this rules then it will be very good way to stop merits abuse. But I think for getting this rules we need to wait so many days, months or years :):)

Based on the BPIP project, is it possible to track that on which "deleted" post, the merit was given so as to stop merit abuse by those who try to do it to achieve higher ranks without any specific qualifications? I'd really recommend such a system where when a thread is deleted (in which a post is made gets deleted)/user's post is deleted for any reasons by mods, the Merits should automatically either be reverted back (least recommended) or the Merits should be burnt (out of the system to take that amount of merits from those abusers to make them think twice before sending it back to their alts/merit buyers). I really think that even if the merits were given on a good quality post and the thread itself gets deleted in which it was made, then those merits should be of no use as the thread on which they were made - doesn't exist anymore.