Surely it will prevent farming, but to implement that is kind of difficult, isn't it? Anyway, I don't see it coming. Merits, for the moment, are helping on the ranking-up matter for those who don't deserve to rank-up, but each day some new boards become a spam-fest. Beginners&Help is almost all about bounties now, as well as so many others. Even here in Meta most of the new topics are about merits, rank-up, or scam persecution (necessary as hell, given the situation), but, I don't know, I think we need to come back to good discussions and to help the people interested in knowledge instead of some bucks from their airdrops.
Anyway, I don't see any action to be taken, at least for the moment, sadly.

Pues es un tema complejo. Yo estoy del todo de acuerdo con DdmrDdmr en que hacen falta más merit sources, pero también últimamente he estado reflexionando sobre el hecho de que se dan los méritos de 1 en 1.
En mi caso, al no ser fuente, los méritos que tengo para dar a otros son los que van surgiendo de los que me dan a mí. Así que, en promedio, doy unos 5 méritos a la semana, si me va bien a mí con eso de recibir unos pocos. Obviamente, si fuera source, daría un chingo más.

Pero otro de los problemas, que no hemos considerado, es que siento que se está comenzando a tener miedo a dar más de un mérito a alguien. Incluso aunque el post esté muy chido, sin darme cuenta nunca le doy más de un mérito, por miedo a que se malinterprete.Al principio de que el sistema fuera implementado, de hecho, los daba de 5 en 5, pero después dejé de hacerlo al leer tantas acusaciones. El tema de las interpretaciones, de los juicios, de los inquisidores es algo que no acaba de gustarme.
Hay post que merecen méritos de 20 en 20, porque el usuario en conjunto (es decir el post y su historial de posts) merece subir de rango. Para dar méritos yo siempre me baso en que el que postea le haya echado mcuhas ganas, no importa si el post es lo mejor del mundo, lo que más considero es que haya un esfuerzo detrás, que esté bien planteado y que sugiera, al menos, algo que me ponga a pensar. Por supuesto, está "bien visto" darle méritos de 20 en 20 a posts súper elaborados (sobre todo si un miembro muy respetable ya lo hizo antes), lo cual está bien, pero siento que no a todos, y que siempre una transacción de un número considerable de méritos puede ser puesta bajo la lupa de uno que otro ocioso.

Es por ello que, sin darme cuenta, llevo mucho tiempo dando méritos de uno en uno, aunque me hubiera gustado darle 10 a alguien, pero me contengo por la seguridad de "mi imagen".

¿Qué tan absurdo es esto? Así es netamente complicado que un member, por ejemplo, suba de rango a Full Member, incluso aunque lo merezca.

Así que sí, el sistema de méritos tiene algunos problemas: el miedo a que te consideren "Narco merit" y la falta de méritos en circulación.

Probably the best attitude you can take: to take a look, to do a quick research before taking any desition!
Anyway, It is not happening every single day, so for the moment doesn't seem something to take too seriously.
I don't know if there is any policy here in the forum regarding these kinds of PM activities, if not, maybe this is time to include some new rules.

No, man, you are mistaken. Everyone (except merit sources) need to earn merit if they want to have some smerits to give away.
For instance, I now don't have any smerit, for I always merit the best post. Every time I have some merits to give, I give them all.

So, it is not about your rank at all, but about the merits you earn. For each 2 merit received you will have one to send to others, no matter the rank you have.

Don't worry. Sometimes one can put all the effort into a post and have nothing in return, it depends on so many matters, for instance, how many publications are made at the same time, etc.
I quit trading for to me was kind of addictive and unhealthy, that's why I totally agree with the "gambling" part. Some other advice should be: be careful, do not get addicted to trading, you can lost a lot of money  .

Thanks for the thread. As I told you before, I will keep an eye on you.

Totally agree. Somehow, trading can become a gambling game, and that's why it is so important to learn a lot first. There are also some "games", simulators that teach you how to trade by making it with no money involved. I haven't try this ( I just don't trade anymore), but some people I know recommend them a lot, for instance, this one: https://coins2learn.com/

Notice I haven't try it, so if it is useful or not, or if you give it a try, just tell me your experience.
To jump into the trade world seems risky to me. I think this is much better to know yourself carefully first, so maybe a simulator can help.

That's a very bad attitude towards the forum!!! Try to imagine you get into a new place and you don't read the rules because you prefer for people to explain them to you. This is a lazy attitude, mate!
Reading the rules by teaching you how to stay in here properly and, also, how to avoid being banned from the forum. So, just don't be lazy, do not ask things that have been answered too many times, just read before posting, ok? this is one of the golden rules in here if you want to succeed as a member in here.

A senior member knowing nothing about the merit system sounds like a bought account to me. Nevertheless, that's going to happen again, I'm afraid. Reporting them or ignoring them maybe depend on how they approach you, but, from my perspective, reporting them may be useful, just in case they are bought or hacked accounts.

First of all, this thread belongs to the "Beginners&help" board, you can move it by yourself.
Secondly, your question has been already answered on the rules of the forum, so don't be lazy, search and read them.

Possibly, but they can ask whatever they need in their "newcomers" board. Anyway, seems a great solution to the spam problem: Newbie jail (it can be in more than just one board) and 5 merits required to Jrs.
The point about having them in just one board is based on the willing of easing the work to mods and merit sources. From time to time you can find a great newbie making his/her best, so maybe the "newcomers" board can be a great place for merit sources to look for them.
Besides, as told before, it will ease the work of many other moderators. The Bitcoin Discussion board, as well as the Politics & Society, Marketplace or the Altcoin board,  are a mess. You just can't enjoy a good debate anymore in those ones, even if you try to start one soon will become a spam-fest.

Something needs to be done. The forum is decaying too fast.

I agree with (mostly) all that has been said.
But, to be honest, from a couple of weeks I have begun to think that the best solution can be:
1.- Newbie's jail. Yes, I don't completely like it, but, given all the spams, newcomers, etc, I think this is the moment to implement that again. The forum is becoming a newbies-spam-fest and the place for "forever Juniors" because it is easy to create an infinite number of new accounts and just use the ctrl+C and ctrl+V buttons in your computer. If newbies can only post in one board, probably it will change it.
2.- 5 Merits to become Jr. Member. Why? When you become JR, under my proposal, you will be able to go out to the jail. If you have to earn 5 merits in order to do so, maybe the Jrs will have some quality. Just take a look at all those "forever juniors" we have in the forum: people with hundreds of posts and no merit...

Of course, it can make the merit farming and trade more "popular", but also easier to detect, for all the newbies will be in a jail, and the ones receiving non-deserving merits will be easier to discover.

This is just an opinion. I'm tired. I'm tired of just seeing how each day the newbies and Forever Juniors come and spam and spam the forum, endlessly.

I think in this jail, also we maybe will find some deserving merits newbies and ease the work to some concerned sources.

Given the actual situation of the forum, a "Job" board probably will end in a spam-fest and a beggers-scam niche, for at least a 99% of the newcomer's goal is to find a job in the forum.

Maybe having a "messy" board for such kind of information is the best desition by now, for everything new is doomed to be scammed as hell.

Even if you write the most-easy-to-read rules ever, this kind of people will not take a look.
Just see this two ones:
- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4459851.0
- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4459425.0

They were banned, after that, they come to cry, and some users explained to them why they got banned and even share the rules with them, but, despite the efforts, they made another account and start to join again bounties and to write in some other boards, seeking for a "new job". So they broke again the rules. Why?? Because they don't bother to read them, and they won't.

I'm afraid for these "kind of people" the forum is just a place to earn some cents by their airdrops. They don't dedicate even a tiny thought to the forum itself, the functionality, the policies... They just don't give a s**t.
So, in a resume, any effort from your part probably will end into a "Thanks, sir, very informative" spam fest.

Nevertheless, even when each day I doubt more and more of myself, I still believe there are good newbies around here. But those ones don't need the rules to be explained to them, for they have the will to read them.

You have good answers, so I would just add:
- Never login to a site with an account used in another platform or a personal email.
- If on a site ask you for making a deposit to be allowed to withdraw, probably this is a scam.

And of course, the other basics: make a research first.

OP_: You are breaking the rules AGAIN. Taking a look at your posting activity, you are already joining campaigns and posting in different boards on the forum: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=319296;sa=showPosts

If you get banned, you can only create a new account to post in META, Meta only, and only if your ban is under revision.
Read the rules:


So you say you didn't break any rule with your previous account but, yet, you are breaking the rules with this new one.
Can't you just read the rules??? Is that so difficult?

(Reported, again)

Dude, understand that: you can appeal, but, you have broken the rules TWICE. Once you are banned, you are banned FOREVER, you, not your account, your person.
If you did have any hope then you should read the rules before trying to appeal your ban.
You must just go from the forum.
I've reported this second account you made breaking again the rules. I will report any account of you since you have come back saying "I'm sorry", but you haven't read the rules when coming back.

Look for another "work place".

This is annoying. This week has been like a spam fest in every area of the forum. Just take a look at meta, with all these banned spammers crying all over.
The Beginners section is annoying as well. I did see the "pharmacy", and also, if you read the post, the guy even admits the text they put was a copy-paste from some other place...
Too much work to mods only. I've been reporting as never in my life.

You also are already joining another bounty, so you are breaking the rules again.
Take a look at his new profile: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=2202155;sa=showPosts

Already into Bounty again.

Dude, when you get banned is YOU being banned, no your account. So, again, in the rules, you are only allowed to create a new account in order to write in meta for revision (if any deserved, which is not your case).


Read the rules once in your life. This is ban evasion.
Do you understand?

Because his old account (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=2101520) probably has been banned due to spamming (just take a look at his posts): https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=2101520;sa=showPosts  (copy-pasting the same shitposts, again and again, is his common activity)

Also, he's avoiding the ban, he has created these new accounts and based on his new profile's activity, he's already trying to join another airdrop and to begin to scam again: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=2197140;sa=showPosts

So. He's a scammer, a copy-pasting tumor and, also, he is trying to avoid the ban by breaking the rules and making new accounts, probably more than this two.

Nop, even if I write in a megathread with no common sense, for example, the one you mentioned, probably it will be deleted. There are some places in the forum from which is better to stay away.
This is a Bitcoin forum, was meant to learn, discuss, read, ask... everything related to the bitcoin. Now, you can also discuss about how the crypto is changing the world, or whatever, which is ok.
But how knowing your favorite color is even relevant to a bitcoin forum?

Just think about where are you first.
Secondly, you can be banned if you:
- Copy-paste or plagiarize.
- Spam the forum with non-related or a nonsense line.
- If you don't read the thread before answering...
... etc.

So, as you see, this is a place where the people come, supposedly, because they are interested in crypto, how it works, how to solve any issue, how to learn, how to trade... there are tons of information and thousands of people willing to help others.
But, still, this is a Crypto-forum-discussion, a "BitcoinTalk" place.

Trust me, to speak about our favorite color, animal, food, etc, is not related.