For the topic creator,
I don't think that I can write something better than those two topics.
So, I simply give you links to those topics:
Full Member thanks to merit system (from iasenko, who ranked up to Full Member around 2 months after the launch of merit system)TMAN's guide to getting meritsTMAN shows you great tips to improve English skills to be better writen-English member, which also help you to easily express your ideas. Express your ideas better, more correctly will, in turn, increase your probability to earn merits. If no one can understand you or they have to spend lots of time to think about meanings under your threads; you will probably never receive merits from them. Because of your threads make them annoying.
Iasenko, presents you detailed steps to grow up in the forum (tips to search basic stuffs of the forum, how to contribute to the forum, how to earn merits, how to avoid violations on forum rules, how to earn merits, and more).
Hope my thread helps you, fella!