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Actually, merit will come naturally according to the quality of the posts we make. Always try to contribute well, do not spam posts, and also make posts that are useful, not out-of-topics, answer questions, informative, of course, later merit will come.
In this case, as what I experienced, I was very lazy to be a good member here, only posting to fulfill my signature campaign requirement without paying attention to the quality of the posts. 2 years and got nothing. then, learning by doing, reading more, and also trying harder in this forum, listening to the advice by the other members lead me to change my mind. Give the best to this forum, and then this forum will give you the best to you.