I had some questions regarding signature campaigns and thought others might be seeking answers to these:

1) Signature campaigns require users to make certain number of posts and these should be 100 words (or so) minimum. Does this means that all posts made by me after getting enrolled should be 100 words minimum otherwise I will be removed. I mean can I make 60 posts in total and in those 40 posts will be having 100 words minimum.

2) Some campaigns say that posts in local boards are not allowed. Does that mean that a member posting in local threads mainly has less chances of being approved ?

3) These campaigns require user to wear signature and then make post with current number of posts. Does that mean that all posts made thereafter will be considered if the member is enrolled in future ?

4) Can I pm the manager regarding a specific doubt ?

5) Had there been instances where members were not paid in a campaign ? If yes, how to spot such campaigns beforehand.

This thread is to post if you notice suspicious giving of merits. I am adding some to start with :

Thread one

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2095908.msg28684426#msg28684426

50 merits given for the reply.

Thread two

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2374959.msg28836806#msg28836806

28 merits given

Adding some Q&A that can be useful for members:

Q1. How many merit sources are there ? How are they selected ?
A1. 35. They are hand picked by theymos

Q2. Will merits become scarce here with time ?
A2. Yes it will be but the admin will add more merit sources or give them more Smerits.

Note: This FAQ will include the responses made by admin regarding the merit system.

I will update this with time. If you have something to add comment below.

First of all I want to say that overall I like the concept and it will help to recognize people making valuable contributions here. However, there are ways to exploit and I would like to discuss here so that the moderators can make necessary tweaking.

1) Suppose there is a member here with 4 accounts having full member accounts. He will have 400 merits in total and thus at most 200 Smerits. Those 200 Smerits can be used to create 20 member accounts with 10 merits each. Now those 20 accounts will have 5 merits each and thus 100 Smerits in total. It can be further used to create 10 member accounts with 10 Smerits each and so on. This can be done on higher scale if a member has higher level accounts or higher number of accounts.

2) I read the official thread and it mentioned that there are merit sources. What if the merit source itself starts selling merits or creating multiple accounts and sending them merits.

3) Actions can be taken against people involved in buying and selling. For instance, if a member with spammy post receives a merit for it, it is doubtful and action can be taken against him. But what is someone abuses this to get accounts banned or negative trust. More like negative SEO which is very common in IM.

I hope moderators have the necessary preparation for combating against these. If you have some limitation of the current merit system to add post below and I will add it here.