I tend not to use these ranking systems. I try to build my own ratings based on knowledge, area of interest, communication skills and fluidity of post content. For example, I would be more interested in a Bitcoin miner discussing the problems in Venezuela, even if he had minimal merits, than a high score member posting about bounties.

I'm considering making a list of topic stars to help me find posts.

I'm surprised you didn't have an all caps title.

Too lazy to check and correct the spelling, and the use of stupid bold text to slow down reading - it's no wonder the merit stream flows past your posts.

I think there are 3 possible reasons to provide a de-meriting structure.

- Merits awarded by mistake. In ths case the de-merit should be excercised in conjunction with the awarder.
- Deleted posts should have associated merits removed autmatically
- Clear cases of merit abuse. Perhaps a team of 3 could evaluate the awarder, and if found guilty, remove all the merits awarded.

There is a secondary issue involved. What would happen to the generated sMerits that have been awarded. Perhaps those could be retained to avoid an over complicated system.

After all, Russia is the largest European country, and it has a very strong military force. The current so called European Union has turned out to be an asset funnel for the Banking Deep State, and seems intent on destroying itself by imposing more Draconian restrictions on existing members. The series of meetings between Victor Orban of Hungary and Vladimir Putin of Russia look as if they will result in increased economic cooperation. This is especially true in areas such as oil distribution and nuclear energy. The current EU is heavily dependent on Russian energy, and one wonders about the viability of EU manufacturing if they lose access to cheap Russian energy.

Hungary is not the only country that is disenchanted with the authoritarian EU, and is building links with Russia. It is my belief that the UK should seek trade agreements with Russia instead of attacking the country. Being a puppet ofthe Eton/Oxford elite isn't going to help Britain in the long term.

That may be my fault. I had a couple of rusty merits in the bottom of my bag. I've given them to you, so that we can keep the record straight.

I gave you a merit for that. It made me stop and think that my action is counter-productive. I'm not against the alt boards, after all, I've got them on ignore. What I am opposed to are the bounty hunters who infest the main boards with low value spam. If we can persuade the alt posters to stay on their own boards, then that is beneficial to the forum in my opinion.

I don't know why that guy hasn't received any merit. I nearly gave him an award for this post.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2399385.msg26740157#msg26740157

I think he is posting on the wrong boards, or his threads are being moved onto them.

I almost gave the Room guy some merit. It's a pity he lives on the alt boards, that put me off a bit.

All this complaining about a single merit, and I've had a guaranteed 5 per member on offer for months. All you had to do was to make a good post in your native language in Fit to Talk, and then use Google translate to convert it to English. We would then work with you to create a thread starting post for you to bring to Bitcoin Talk to open a discussion.

Not one person has taken up this offer recently. It's no wonder bounty boys have so much trouble if they can't be bothered to do a small amount of work.

If I keep agreeing with you, then they are going to think I'm your alt.

Actually Vod Cash would be a good name for a crypto.

I think it is an experiment to see what the forum is like without newbies.

Has it improved things?

Ah! Thanks for the info. I didn't read any of those threads.

Just as long as Jet Aid hasn't been banned. I don't want a banned aid.

I'd better lock this thread then.

I've tried posting as JetAid on three different boards using two different computers, and every time I get a server 500 error.
I can make the same posts as Jet Cash or as Talk Merit without any problems.

Has anyone got any ideas as to what I have managed to mess up?

None of the above.

Actually a lot of advertisers are losing money because of fake bot views. Not just their advertising expenditure, but some of their legitimate enquiries are being blocked. It has become a bit of an issue, and it may be a partial contributor to their share price reduction.

I'm not a good person to be involved in this discussion. I don't think accounts should be bought and sold, and I've just read your sig.

I think we are getting away from the main point in this thread. That relates to the sale or purchase of rank, favour or reputation. I haven't looked at your specific case, but as a general principle, I support Lauda in his belief that such traders are destructive for this forum. I started to post on Steemit, but I backed away a bit when I realised that one had to purchase the promotion of one's content, and that quality was of secondary importance.

@Ludji

Actually I probably know more about gambling than you do. I ran a horse racing book at school. I played cards for a living for a year when I was 19, and I helped a friend to set up a casino in the West End of London. Also, I made money playing Blackjack in Casinos before they changed the rules. I've also promoted on-line casinos.

Now lets look at alcohol. Excessive alcohol or alcohol dependence is bad - there is no question about that. Is alcohol in moderation bad? well I don't believe that it is. What is bad is cheap alcohol, and this is because of the impurities in it. It is far better to educate people in the enjoyment of the taste of quality alcoholic drinks, and to wean them off the pursuit of escape through the effects of alcohol. Much the same applies to gambling. It is far better to address the causes of destructive behaviour, than to try to ban it, and force it underground.

With reference to banks - how many people research the banks exposure to toxic debt and derivatives, or understand the risks of bail-ins, Their choice of bank is a gamble based on the bank's advertising in most cases.

I used to do this, but it does take up a lot of time, and now I try to take a view of the posted content, and only check the history if I find a trigger. The main reason for checking now is to look for out of character posts. These can often be an indication of plagiarism.

Not awarding a good recent post because of previous bad posts may be counter productive. If a member has started to make an effort, then we should encourage him. Unfortunately, in most of these cases, it just means he is using stolen content.

The promotion of gambling sites is a difficult decision. Gambling choices are a part of modern life unfortunately. Even the choice of a bank to use for your fiat transactions has become a bit of a gamble. People visit casinos for recreational purposes, and, if they are sensible and don't lose more than they would spend on other entertainment, then I believe it is their choice. Addiction in any form is bad, and people should seek help if they do have a damaging addiction - this includes smoking, vaping, drugs, alcohol, and sex as well as gambling.

I have promoted gambling sites in the past, and I have pointed out to players that they will lose. The choice of casino just varies the rate and the amount of the loss. By restricting recommendations to the sites that provide the best entertainment value, I believe that you are helping a surfer who is determined to play. It also provides a chance to include links to sites and services that will help the surfer to control his losses.