One person has sent 50 merits to a service announcement thread.

[Johny Depp]

Should we consider it merit abuse? If yes, will the sender/receiver receive -ve trust from DT?

[1715235662]

1715235662

[1715235662]

1715235662

[Vod]

Should we consider it merit abuse? If yes, will the sender/receiver receive -ve trust from DT?

Is it me?   

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2818350

[Johny Depp]

Should we consider it merit abuse? If yes, will the sender/receiver receive -ve trust from DT?

Is it me?   

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2818350

Yours is neither a service announcement one, nor you have sent 50 merits to OP at one go!

So, unfortunately, its not you.

Interestingly, the service provider I am talking about, has also received some questionable trust feedback from DT. But, that was being discussed here - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5034828.0.

[LTU_btc]

Giving 50 Merits to ANN topic isn't a best way to spend Merits, but I don't know can we call it as Merit abuse. Users are free to choose how they want to spend their Merit. IMO, it's better to give Merits to ANN threads than send to alt accounts or sell on black market.
Maybe you can show us ANN about which you're talking about?

[The Sceptical Chymist]

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2818350

That thread is almost funny looking back at it today and seeing how many merits were so freely handed out for posts that were just mediocre.  I'm pretty sure bitcointalk will never see anything like that again.

As to OP's point, I'd say 50 merits from a single member would certainly be excessive, but I doubt anyone would get tagged.  I'm not sure who Johny Depp is talking about, though.  It would be helpful for him to mention specifics and not broad generalities, because suspected merit abuse obviously depends on the circumstances.

I've seen a lot of campaign threads and ANNs where the OP gets enormous amounts of merits.  Hell, even DarkStar_ got 8 merits for the Chipmixer campaign thread, and there have been other bounty managers who've gotten far more than that.  

What can you do?  I wouldn't call it merit abuse; it's more like gratitude, and members have to have a certain amount of freedom to do what they want with their sMerits.  This is why I'm not putting on the gloves and stepping into the ring with suspected merit abusers.  It's not usually black-and-white like it is with account sales and whatnot.  As I said recently, though, I'm glad there are other DT members who are tagging the obvious cases of abuse.

Edit:

Giving 50 Merits to ANN topic isn't a best way to spend Merits, but I don't know can we call it as Merit abuse. Users are free to choose how they want to spend their Merit. IMO, it's better to give Merits to ANN threads than send to alt accounts or sell on black market.
Maybe you can show us ANN about which you're talking about?

Dang, you basically just beat me to the punch and said very succinctly what I just wrote.  Anyway, without knowing who OP is talking about, all of this is just blabbering.  The answer to his question is that the member might get tagged.  That might not be what OP wants to hear, but that's the truth of the matter.

[actmyname]

You cannot should not send out -ve feedback without sufficient reason and foresight.

Neither the thread-starter nor the merit sender should receive negative feedback (unless this is not an isolated case). We, as humans, are subjective by nature and some individuals may choose to send 50 merit on occasion to certain topics. This is not necessarily untrustworthy since we have no clear abuse between the two users.

In the case where it is not an isolated instance then we can start to formulate a conjecture. Back-and-forth merit transactions will usually dictate shady behavior.

[hugeblack]

Other times, other manners. There are some cases in which more merits has been sent and is no longer a violation  "receive -ve trust from DT":

 - [ANN] ChipMixer.com - Bitcoin mixer / Bitcoin tumbler - mixing reinvented 50 merits from 1Referee.
 - Nessie.io - Exchange with Seamless Access to Digital Wallet & Gaming Services 138 merits from 6 accounts.

You have the freedom to send any amount of merits, but you are not entitled to sell, exchange or use it in the scam "send to alt."
If merit sources are allowed to send merits to " service announcement thread"[1], others will be allowed to do so.

[1] I will add the source when I find it

[coin8coin8]

Nessie.io - Exchange with Seamless Access to Digital Wallet & Gaming Services 138 merits from 6 accounts.

It should be 148 meirts, on the 8th floor someone also gave it 10merits.
I don't know what Nessie is.But such a short thread has only 8 replies, and all of them are very short ads. Is this really worth 148 merits?
This is a pretty naked provocation.

[Patatas]

Nessie.io - Exchange with Seamless Access to Digital Wallet & Gaming Services 138 merits from 6 accounts.

It should be 148 meirts, on the 8th floor someone also gave it 10merits.
I don't know what Nessie is.But such a short thread has only 8 replies, and all of them are very short ads. Is this really worth 148 merits?
This is a pretty naked provocation.

Complete waste of merits I would say! Imagine, if they were used to rank up some deserving high-quality posters. The reason why I call it a waste is because the merited account doesn't seem to be interested in participating in the forum or offer some services here. That is not the case with ChipMixer, they're running a signature campaign from a long time also offering mixing services here.

[reactorjuno]

Giving 50 Merits to ANN topic isn't a best way to spend Merits, but I don't know can we call it as Merit abuse. Users are free to choose how they want to spend their Merit. IMO, it's better to give Merits to ANN threads than send to alt accounts or sell on black market.
Maybe you can show us ANN about which you're talking about?

I'll respectfully disagree, it should be reported and even though merits cannot be removed, there should be exceptional situations where it should be possible to remove the merits when it's an obvious mistake or/and abuse. Some folks here post very quality stuff and struggle to get 50 merits in total. To be honest I already started a thread about this before and was told that little can be done. 

[LTU_btc]

Giving 50 Merits to ANN topic isn't a best way to spend Merits, but I don't know can we call it as Merit abuse. Users are free to choose how they want to spend their Merit. IMO, it's better to give Merits to ANN threads than send to alt accounts or sell on black market.
Maybe you can show us ANN about which you're talking about?

I'll respectfully disagree, it should be reported and even though merits cannot be removed, there should be exceptional situations where it should be possible to remove the merits when it's an obvious mistake or/and abuse. Some folks here post very quality stuff and struggle to get 50 merits in total. To be honest I already started a thread about this before and was told that little can be done. 

I understand your point, but unfortunately, Merit system isn't moderated, same like trust system. And it's really difficult to prove Merit abuse, this is why there not many users are red tagged by DT members. Yeah, it's not fair that some users just buying Merits to rank up and they aren't punished for that, while other users are working hard to get Merit in legit way. I see that you're making really good posts, but you got too litle number of Merits.

[elda34b]

I just find a similar case where a user who posted an update about some projects got +10 merits from the projects 'owner'. In local sections, some members used this similar style to add more merits for their alts. The proof is not strong enough though, so this is also debatable.

[Thule]

the biggest merit circle are Lauda's ganga


Lauda
vod
The Pharmacist
actmyname


you got them here to close that topic quickly

[Thule]

You wanna know for what Lauda and his gang needs the high amount of merit ?
They need it to get hired as ico/bounty managers.

I don't wanna know how many scam accounts they own themself but seeing their abusiv actions and instant deletion of posts asking about it on their threads just shows how scared they are about these topics.
BTW my red trust i gained from the Lauda Gang for buying an account so a friend can post pictures in his ICO where he gave full details about himself and his company.

So they tagged me for scamming which never accured and once i attacked them calling them stupid assholes they flooded me with red trust.


Lauda and his gang are the worst cancer on this forum


He already lost his position as Mod here because of his abuse and his gang members lost their DT status....... i guess that says everything

[actmyname]

You're back... hm. :/

you got them here to close that topic quickly

What topic?

You wanna know for what Lauda and his gang needs the high amount of merit ?
They need it to get hired as ico/bounty managers.

No. Two of the members that you mentioned above take no part in ICOs or bounties. At all. Even if it were the case merit has nothing to do with any hiring process. Reputation does.I think it's interesting how you claim we send merit to one another.

My profile: https://bpip.org/profile.aspx?p=actmyname
The Pharmacist: https://bpip.org/profile.aspx?p=The%20Pharmacist
Vod: https://bpip.org/profile.aspx?p=Vod
Lauda: https://bpip.org/profile.aspx?p=Lauda

None of the "gang" appear on the "send sMerit" section.

[Thule]

I guess thats why you guys have so many dedicated threads about yourself like this one


https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2829282.0

@all

and have a look which people always join on these threads instantly to destroy it.
Always the same people and it has a reason why

[Thule]

silence

[actmyname]

silence

[DutchDemon]

Other times, other manners. There are some cases in which more merits has been sent and is no longer a violation  "receive -ve trust from DT":

 - [ANN] ChipMixer.com - Bitcoin mixer / Bitcoin tumbler - mixing reinvented 50 merits from 1Referee.
 - Nessie.io - Exchange with Seamless Access to Digital Wallet & Gaming Services 138 merits from 6 accounts.

You have the freedom to send any amount of merits, but you are not entitled to sell, exchange or use it in the scam "send to alt."
If merit sources are allowed to send merits to " service announcement thread"[1], others will be allowed to do so.

[1] I will add the source when I find it

50 merits to a service announcement definitely raises suspicion of trade under the table.

[eddie13]

So does bumping a 2 month old thread with a shitpost and instantly getting Jr merits for it..

[RocketSingh]

So does bumping a 2 month old thread with a shitpost and instantly getting Jr merits for it..

I think, sending 50 merits to a Service Announcement appears legitimate to you. In that case, the logic is "You have the freedom to send any amount of merits". No?

And when someone calls it out, that feels like shitty. If I merit 2 for it, that is questionable. Right?

Let's see how you merit...

Signed message today..

1vvSrTFiQY7akwbsv3iYPPe9mR3DsEbff

This is eddie13 on 8/19/2018 updating my Bitcointalk staked address

IIgvyxWXnHtM6veHdfdP+zvxb5mVC6XsGa/K2fieDj6yX/cHBVL73Z14KQnRu8ydIUugmK3AKtvee9FelXl41KU=

Quoted and verified

When someone quoted & verified your staked address, you sent him 5 merit instantly. How about that?

Hypocrisy at its best.

[eddie13]

I think, sending 50 merits to a Service Announcement appears legitimate to you.

Oh yes, because I sure love me some managers..

you sent him 5 merit instantly

Try harder..

Why did you take your chain-bet sig off so fast just now?

[RocketSingh]

I think, sending 50 merits to a Service Announcement appears legitimate to you.

Oh yes, because I sure love me some managers..

Learn to construct a meaningful sentence in English.

you sent him 5 merit instantly

Try harder..

Tit-for-tat. Chao.

Why did you take your chain-bet sig off so fast just now?

Oh. You just missed the opportunity to accuse me of signature spamming. Dint u?

[eddie13]

Learn to construct a meaningful sentence in English.

Maybe some day..

Oh. You just missed the opportunity to accuse me of signature spamming. Dint u?

We both know that wasn't the significance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Did you just word-spin xtraelv's sig?

"We are surrounded by legends on this forum. Phenomenal successes and catastrophic failures. Then there are the scams. This forum is a digital museum.  
* The most iconic historic bitcointalk threads.* Satoshi * Cypherpunks*MtGox*Bitcointalk hacks*pHiShInG* Silk Road*Pirateat40*Knightmb*Miner shams*Forum scandals*BBCode*"

"As a member of BitcoinTalk, you are surrounded by legends; phenomenal successes and catastrophic failures. The forum was created by Satoshi Nakamoto and saw the first exchange, the first altcoin, and the first ICO, but also catastrophic software flaws, massive thefts, and incredible scams. You too have an opportunity to become part of the forum's history: whether and in what way you do so is up to you."

[RocketSingh]

Learn to construct a meaningful sentence in English.

Maybe some day..

Oh. You just missed the opportunity to accuse me of signature spamming. Dint u?

We both know that wasn't the significance.

Try harder..

Did you just word-spin xtraelv's sig?

"We are surrounded by legends on this forum. Phenomenal successes and catastrophic failures. Then there are the scams. This forum is a digital museum.  
* The most iconic historic bitcointalk threads.* Satoshi * Cypherpunks*MtGox*Bitcointalk hacks*pHiShInG* Silk Road*Pirateat40*Knightmb*Miner shams*Forum scandals*BBCode*"

"As a member of BitcoinTalk, you are surrounded by legends; phenomenal successes and catastrophic failures. The forum was created by Satoshi Nakamoto and saw the first exchange, the first altcoin, and the first ICO, but also catastrophic software flaws, massive thefts, and incredible scams. You too have an opportunity to become part of the forum's history: whether and in what way you do so is up to you."

It was quoted by theymos as an ideal para to introduce BitcoinTalk to newbies. Most probably the person who wrote it is xtraelv. Lemme know if you need the BBcode. Its good to serve the forum...

[xtraelv]

Learn to construct a meaningful sentence in English.

Maybe some day..

Oh. You just missed the opportunity to accuse me of signature spamming. Dint u?

We both know that wasn't the significance.

Try harder..

Did you just word-spin xtraelv's sig?

"We are surrounded by legends on this forum. Phenomenal successes and catastrophic failures. Then there are the scams. This forum is a digital museum.  
* The most iconic historic bitcointalk threads.* Satoshi * Cypherpunks*MtGox*Bitcointalk hacks*pHiShInG* Silk Road*Pirateat40*Knightmb*Miner shams*Forum scandals*BBCode*"

"As a member of BitcoinTalk, you are surrounded by legends; phenomenal successes and catastrophic failures. The forum was created by Satoshi Nakamoto and saw the first exchange, the first altcoin, and the first ICO, but also catastrophic software flaws, massive thefts, and incredible scams. You too have an opportunity to become part of the forum's history: whether and in what way you do so is up to you."

It was quoted by theymos as an ideal para to introduce BitcoinTalk to newbies. Most probably the person who wrote it is xtraelv. Lemme know if you need the BBcode. Its good to serve the forum...

Theymos used a reworded version of my signature in the new introduction. I thought it was quite cool that it morphed into something that is used for the forum.

It started off in this topic before it turned into a signature:

This topic was inspired by when Eddie13 said: "lets hope he can end the cycle of cryptopia/btct - Hatfield/McCoy rivalry". I posed the question" What is so special about this forum ?" I didn't expect to find as much as I did and it changed my views towards bitcointalk

We are surrounded by legends on this forum. Not just the ones that were phenomenally successful but also some that tried and failed with catastrophic results. Then there are those that scammed at the expense of others. This forum is a digital museum.

Shortly after that I started using it as a signature.

We are surrounded by legends on this forum. Phenomenal successes and catastrophic failures. Then there are the scams. This forum is a digital museum.  
* The most iconic historic bitcointalk threads.* Satoshi * Cypherpunks*MtGox*Bitcointalk hacks*pHiShInG* Silk Road*Pirateat40*Knightmb*Miner shams*Forum scandals*BBCode*

Theymos gave me credit for it here:

Here's a draft of a welcome message for new users. The user will see it on the screen confirming their registration, and it'll also be available in the help center at any time.

Some text in the intro was obviously inspired by xtraelv's signature, which I really like.

It morphed into:

As a member of the forum, you are surrounded by legends; phenomenal successes and catastrophic failures. The forum was created by Satoshi Nakamoto and saw the first exchange, the first altcoin, and the first ICO, but also catastrophic software flaws, massive thefts, and incredible scams. You too have an opportunity to become part of the forum's history: whether and in what way you do so is up to you.

[Pffrt]

There are a lot of ANN where merit is being spent in OP. Sometime those are clear abusing while sometime people give because the project/service is good for them. Therefore, it can be told abuse clearly. Checking the previous merit spending tendency we can assume someone as abuser but without proof, no one can tell him abuser.