How MERIT changes the culture of this forum

[mOmenTOZ]

I am really amaze with the positive effects of merit and how it changes the forum.

1. A helping hand from the community was offered and expanded to the admin who are reporting those scammers, cheaters and junk posters.
2. The members are more aware with the rules and regulations in the forum.
3. Helpful threads are created to help each other to gain more knowledge with cryptocurrency, how to make a presentable thread and step by step guide was being offered to the community if you have something you don't understand.
4. Negative trust looks like used actively for those members who don't play fair and square

I prefer observing here rather than posting repeated questions where those answers can actually find using google or the search bar to this forum. Instead of copy pasting those articles to be shared in this forum, why don't we start creating a thread where everyone will be compensated? I consider MERIT as a reward to be given to those deserving person. Who are those person? Those who are

1. Knowledgeable
2. Willing to share their experience and knowledge in cryptocurrency and about this forum
3. Those who creates useful and presentable threads where they spent a long time just to make it clearer to the readers
4. Those who makes an inspiration to other members
5. Not a cheater,  scammer, and junk poster

Now ask yourself, are you this type of person who deserves a merit? Do you apply these things to each replies and threads you created? If you are still a newbie rank with more than 100 activities and wondering why you are still not getting merited, the answer is clear and keep these in mind.

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[Marshall14]

The dictionary defines merit as the quality deserving a reward or something worthy of high rating..
Now it being applied on the forum is making a post/comment deserving a reward and worthy of being rated high..

The truth is immediately you make a valid contribution or a noteworthy assistance,deep down you know you've done something meritable,and most times depending on how many sources/high rankees view the post, it definitely gets merited

If there were no merits,half the population of the forum wouldn't strive to learn or be of help to someone else, it would just be a free for all in junk posts
But with the incentive of merits,its only wise and self rewarding to do something that others would commend you for with their Smerits

Indeed merits are incentivizers,and stirs users to keep coming up with worthwhile posts and replies

[Gloverwrt]

I am really amaze with the positive effects of merit and how it changes the forum.

1. A helping hand from the community was offered and expanded to the admin who are reporting those scammers, cheaters and junk posters.
2. The members are more aware with the rules and regulations in the forum.
3. Helpful threads are created to help each other to gain more knowledge with cryptocurrency, how to make a presentable thread and step by step guide was being offered to the community if you have something you don't understand.
4. Negative trust looks like used actively for those members who don't play fair and square

Now 1, 2, and 4 are not actively related to merits. You don't need the promise of a reward to contribute positively. But a lot of people were abusing the system and using it for their own gain, why the 'one merit system's was implemented. To discourage spammers and farmers. And encourage more active interaction in the forum.
Repeated threads have been made about merits, and it is now a hackneyed topic.

[BQ]

it's true that it's a reward, but at the same time, majority of internet forums through time has not needed any merit - most just has a post count.
I think that says more about how the forum demographic changed!

[DdmrDdmr]

Alas, only 23.670 accounts have earned at least 1 Merit so far as of last Friday. In a forum this big, with over 324.000 accounts that have for example logged in over the last three months (out of the 2.437.743 accounts), that means that there is a very large proportion of users that do not fall into the “change of culture” as you put it, if merit is to be taken as an indicator.

Many are still trying to see how they can roam around and just do social reports on a Newbie account, and there are quite a few attempts to do a “Hit&Run” as I put it (hit someone up for a Merit, and run back to the old habits once they turn to be a Jr. Member).  Let’s say that the cultural change only applies to a smaller part of the community, with a large gap still to close...

[erikoy]

Alas, only 23.670 accounts have earned at least 1 Merit so far as of last Friday. In a forum this big, with over 324.000 accounts that have for example logged in over the last three months (out of the 2.437.743 accounts), that means that there is a very large proportion of users that do not fall into the “change of culture” as you put it, if merit is to be taken as an indicator.

Many are still trying to see how they can roam around and just do social reports on a Newbie account, and there are quite a few attempts to do a “Hit&Run” as I put it (hit someone up for a Merit, and run back to the old habits once they turn to be a Jr. Member).  Let’s say that the cultural change only applies to a smaller part of the community, with a large gap still to close...

This maybe because merit is so hard to obtain especially if one is not a good poster. Besides there is no guarantee that all merits will be rewarded by the merit source. Some of them have high standards on giving the merit rewards and do not merit post like this which is not informative and constructive. Anyway, one could take some time to create a good post but not all the post you created might be good and constructive for some of it will be subject for scrutinizing from the users in this forum.

I have agreed with you that many now were getting back on their culture after receiving merits and now joining bounty campaigns for not all were born with silver spoon on their mouth. Thus, making this forum as a another source of income. Correct me if I am wrong.  

[Retty]

I am really amaze with the positive effects of merit and how it changes the forum.

1. A helping hand from the community was offered and expanded to the admin who are reporting those scammers, cheaters and junk posters.
2. The members are more aware with the rules and regulations in the forum.
3. Helpful threads are created to help each other to gain more knowledge with cryptocurrency, how to make a presentable thread and step by step guide was being offered to the community if you have something you don't understand.
4. Negative trust looks like used actively for those members who don't play fair and square

I prefer observing here rather than posting repeated questions where those answers can actually find using google or the search bar to this forum. Instead of copy pasting those articles to be shared in this forum, why don't we start creating a thread where everyone will be compensated? I consider MERIT as a reward to be given to those deserving person. Who are those person? Those who are

1. Knowledgeable
2. Willing to share their experience and knowledge in cryptocurrency and about this forum
3. Those who creates useful and presentable threads where they spent a long time just to make it clearer to the readers
4. Those who makes an inspiration to other members
5. Not a cheater,  scammer, and junk poster

Now ask yourself, are you this type of person who deserves a merit? Do you apply these things to each replies and threads you created? If you are still a newbie rank with more than 100 activities and wondering why you are still not getting merited, the answer is clear and keep these in mind.

You know the best way to get Merit? Just forget about it!

Don't post about it, don't sing its praises, don't moan about it. Just enjoy the forum and learn your trade and join in the conversations, contribute and try and help out where you can.

Please, any newbie reading this just follow the advice, be a normal member and forget about it. Its really not that big of a deal. This post is quite good and well written, unfortunately it does smack a little of desperation for merit, which most people who've been here a while will see through.

Change the subject, try again, and just enjoy the forum.  

[coin8coin8]

My advice is to go to your local section to write some good quality articles. Usually we have a higher level of mastery in our native language and it is easier to write high quality articles.
If you are confident in publishing high quality English posts，just do it.
No matter what language article, you only need to follow the steps below：

1. Choose a topic that you are good at.
2. Conceive some novel ideas, it should be unique.
3. To consider the reader's feelings, the article should not be too complicated.
4. Edit in a reasonable format to make the article look beautiful.
5. Stick to it, and don't think about Merit first, forget it.

[nakamura12]

My advice is to go to your local section to write some good quality articles. Usually we have a higher level of mastery in our native language and it is easier to write high quality articles.
If you are confident in publishing high quality English posts，just do it.
No matter what language article, you only need to follow the steps below：

1. Choose a topic that you are good at.
2. Conceive some novel ideas, it should be unique.
3. To consider the reader's feelings, the article should not be too complicated.
4. Edit in a reasonable format to make the article look beautiful.
5. Stick to it, and don't think about Merit first, forget it.

I agree with you there, thinking about on how to get merit will slow you down instead of receiving merit in normal pace. Thinking too much on how to get merited will broke your life. Merit won't help you earn if you're too focused on it rather than contributing to the forum itself. Advance MERIT Christmas to all.

[CoinREAPER21]

I totally agree with these. Merit was some sort of a medal for many, specially to those Jr members with 200 above activity with no merit that ranked down are now starting to make a good quality post and some are trying harder than before to make their post more interesting. I also don't understand those members who just copy pasting an article or an answers from a different members for the sake of their signature or post counts. These junk posters should be reported and terminated here because they only spamming this forum.

[Jalal ud din]

I am very glad to say that after the merit system this forum become more unique and competitive for its users.I am strongly agree with your thoughts that how merit system changes the culture of this forum .Now only those users survive who have some valuable thought to forward for this forum all other spammer eventually dead.The most important step that was taken by the moderator is a demerit system that breaks the backbone of spammer.As most of spammer here are newbies (spammbies) makes there first thirty activity to become Jr member for doing signatures.

[LTU_btc]

This maybe because merit is so hard to obtain especially if one is not a good poster. Besides there is no guarantee that all merits will be rewarded by the merit source. Some of them have high standards on giving the merit rewards and do not merit post like this which is not informative and constructive. Anyway, one could take some time to create a good post but not all the post you created might be good and constructive for some of it will be subject for scrutinizing from the users in this forum.

I have agreed with you that many now were getting back on their culture after receiving merits and now joining bounty campaigns for not all were born with silver spoon on their mouth. Thus, making this forum as a another source of income. Correct me if I am wrong.  

@erikoy, I wouldn't say that's difficult to get Merit. Even if you're average poster, you will get some Merits eventually. And if you're bad poster, you shouldn't expect to get Merit. And if most of your posts are Merit worthy, it's chance that all of them will be Merit - there are just too many posts and limited number of Merits to give.
Back to OP thoughts. I can't see big changescaused by Merit system. Some positive aspects - now good posts are highlighted and it's easier to spot content worth to read. And offcourse, Merit helps to identify good posters.
And yes, Merit changed forum culture a bit. Now people (mainly demoted bounty hunters and shitposters) coming to Meta to praise Merit system). They desperately need Merit to continue earning money on Bitcointalk. Others are trying to obtain Merit by posting plagiarised content or just by buying Merit.
Offcourse, we can't deny that Merit have positive impact. Good users now are trying to improve their posts and obtain Merit in legitimate way. Sadly, but this is minority of forum users.