Don't send PMs begging for merits.

[Jet Cash]

I was going to post this in the beginners section, but it seems to be the mid ranking members that do this. It is against the forum rules to beg for merit, and not all members are as lenient as I am. If I receive these begging PMs then I just put the member on ignore, so he won't get any merit from me, no matter how good his posting may be. I don't get very many, but I have had a couple recently, so I thought it was time to remind members about merit begging. I don't sell merit either, but it must be over a year since I have had a request to sell merit.

If you want me to award you with merit, apart from the standard awards, then persuade me to revive one of my old projects, so that members can earn merit ,and  be of benefit to the forum.

[Daniel91]

I was going to post this in the beginners section, but it seems to be the mid ranking members that do this. It is against the forum rules to beg for merit, and not all members are as lenient as I am. If I receive these begging PMs then I just put the member on ignore, so he won't get any merit from me, no matter how good his posting may be. I don't get very many, but I have had a couple recently, so I thought it was time to remind members about merit begging. I don't sell merit either, but it must be over a year since I have had a request to sell merit.

If you want me to award you with merit, apart from the standard awards, then persuade me to revive one of my old projects, so that members can earn merit ,and  be of benefit to the forum.

The same thing happened to me after I started merit giveaway topic in the beginners section of the forum.
I started getting private messages from new members asking me for merits.
I understand the merits are important in this forum but it's not the right way.
Anyone who puts effort and time on this forum will receive merits while others will be ignored.

[mk4]

Good for you guys for being really tolerant for stuff like this. On a bad day, I could probably see myself publicizing their PMs lol. Thankfully I haven't received any spam emails for a while though, so there's that.

but it seems to be the mid ranking members that do this.

Now this is the quite surprising part.

[friends1980]

Same here, received one two days ago from this guy, but it was the first time I had someone PM begging if I remember well.

@mk4: "please send me some merit" is not much of a spectacular message to publish, but maybe the PMs you receive are more prosaic

In the end, I didn't reply but I did leave a neutral comment on his profile, which he should be happy about, since I normally report quite rapidly, but I tend to be a little bit more lenient for Newbies lately.

Mildness comes with the age, probably right, JC?

[The Author]

When I read the rules some days ago I realized that merits are earned by
- Making relevant contribution to the forum,
- Bringing new ideas to help educate other members,
- And presenting your contributions to help promote bitcoins
Not by going around begging and sending PMs to other higher members for merit awarding which in my case I would consider disturbance that needs ignoring

[hilariousetc]

Good for you guys for being really tolerant for stuff like this. On a bad day, I could probably see myself publicizing their PMs lol. Thankfully I haven't received any spam emails for a while though, so there's that.

but it seems to be the mid ranking members that do this.

Now this is the quite surprising part.

Seems some people are getting desperate to rank up as a couple of people have messaged me recently as well as a couple of people reporting unsolicited PMs. I usually just ignore the messages but people need to be really careful as this can easily backfire and they can end up tarnishing their account. I still really think we should add more donator ranks so things like this are less likely to happen and people can just buy themselves the equivalent rank rather than beg and fish for merits with threads created solely to try receive merit. It's counter-productive when that happens.

[Jet Cash]

I don't believe that buying high ranking accounts is good. It tends to bypass the selection process, and it is a bit confusing for members. However, lets say a senior exec from a £10billon exchange wants to join - should he have to start as a newbie, when he clearly isn't a Bitcoin newbie?  I would suggest a new rank of "sponsor", and it would be up to Theymos to decide if an applicant is suitable. Posting and advertising rights could be based on either payment, or the status of the sponsor's organisation.

[Rikafip]

Same here, received one two days ago from this guy, but it was the first time I had someone PM begging if I remember well.

When I saw those two posts made by that guy it looked kinda suspicious, as his first post was too well written for a brand new account, and from my experience, it is usually plagiarism, and 2nd one wasn't properly referenced He even got some merit for it. Just a little bit of reverse image search of the chart he shared and voila, he did copy his "analysis" from some Iranian website. He just Google translated it and that's about it. Here is one small example. Just shows what kind of people begs for merit.

*The moving average of convergence and divergence is slowly entering the descending zone.
*The hourly relative strength index is declining to 50.
*The main support levels are $ 9275 and then $ 9180.
*The main resistance levels are $ 9350, $ 9375 and $ 9500.

Source: https://coinsara.com/bitcoin-big-reaction-bulls-likely/


By the way, sorry for the offtopic, didn't want to derail this topic, but had to bust this guy.


Regarding the merit begging, aren't there enough merit giveaways threads in Beginners&Help section? Some of them were even closed due low interest, so I really don't get why would anyone do that. So far I haven't experienced that, but if I do, I might consider neutral tag for those.

[hilariousetc]

I still really think we should add more donator ranks so things like this are less likely to happen and people can just buy themselves the equivalent rank rather than beg and fish for merits with threads created solely to try receive merit. It's counter-productive when that happens.

I would prefer modifying copper member, such as silver and gold member rather than donator which have fixed costs.

More donator ranks as in new, different ones ie Silver and Gold Member etc.

I don't believe that buying high ranking accounts is good. It tends to bypass the selection process, and it is a bit confusing for members. However, lets say a senior exec from a £10billon exchange wants to join - should he have to start as a newbie, when he clearly isn't a Bitcoin newbie?  I would suggest a new rank of "sponsor", and it would be up to Theymos to decide if an applicant is suitable. Posting and advertising rights could be based on either payment, or the status of the sponsor's organisation.

I'm not suggesting people buy accounts or even the current user ranks but the benefits thereof ie you buy a Silver Membership which gets you the benefits of Full Member and Gold gets you the benefits of a Hero or something. You'd still be a Newbie or whatever just with the additional title. It's very hard for an average poster to rise through the ranks, hell, even a decent poster probably won't achieve the sufficient merit to become a Hero within the timeframe it takes to get the required activity so skipping the queue by donating seems like a win-win to me.

[Jet Cash]

A while ago I saw theymos's post in which he supports sending merit to those close to the new title

That is part of the opening sentence in the latest PM I received. He goes on to mention his merit count, and asks if I support this initiative of Theymos. They are getting quite creative with their merit begging.

[YOSHIE]

I can't count any more PMs coming in for me.

From begging for Merit, letting go of the red confidence in her body, and all sorts of incoming PM models from beginners and middle rank, one of the ways I do is turn off PM from beginners and ignore.

I do not believe that the accounts that have been sold and those that sell tend to be bad, no matter how skilled he is in investing / trading Bitcoin.

Example: PM sent by a high ranking account, which has been sold.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=trust;u=897308



Like this is what happens, if the account is sold, even though he has another entry-level Alt account.

[Lucius]

I can't count any more PMs coming in for me.

I have just the opposite experience, no one has ever asked me for any service related to merit - neither to give them away, nor to sell them. Maybe the thing is that those who do it target merit sources or have some other criteria that my profile doesn't meet

It's very hard for an average poster to rise through the ranks, hell, even a decent poster probably won't achieve the sufficient merit to become a Hero within the timeframe it takes to get the required activity so skipping the queue by donating seems like a win-win to me.

Maybe then it's time to modify the current requirements, which are obviously too difficult for most new and some old members. If 1000 merits is the current request for Legendary rank, maybe we should lower it to 750, and Hero from 500 to maybe 350 or 400 merits. Of course, the question arises what to do with lower ranks, because in my opinion Jr. Member is very easy to reach, just like Member (1 - 10 merits) but even 10 times more is needed for Full Member rank which is too much in my opinion.

[erikoy]

How desperate would it be to ask for merits. If we were going to put our shoe in their shoe having trouble in earning merits then probably we can understand why it let them to decide to do PM to beg for merits. We cannot judge directly to users that are doing this. Probably others just wanted to make some abuses by merit farming and others may have done it as mention by other users that they are near to rank up in into new title and they can't just wait instead they ask for it for them to rank up. Other than that probably they are kids having trouble to formulate sentence but learn to do cryptocurrency but their only problem is how to make a good rational statements that could let them earn merits. As we all know adults and young once had different level of knowledge especially in reasoning out where adult could come up a good reason due to past experiences while those kids don't have.

In that case, if ever I will be able to encounter a PM asking for merit then only I can do is to scan for his posts history and see it if I can give even at least one for him if there will be a post that for me worth it to reward merits. I will not be greedy for it is only a merits and who knows that by giving him a merit the user may able to join a campaign and earn which he really intend in joining here in the forum.

Let us not judge users directly basing on how they act but I think for me in my opinion it is better to check first and ask why he needs the merit and if he is convincing then as what I have mention I will check the posts history to reward merits. If none then I can inform him to make a thread or his best posts for me to rewards him the merits. And if there is really no chance of improvement then out of pity I will still reward him with merit. We can see him a trash user for now but maybe in the long run he can grow as a good user. Let just help them instead of making fun of them. I had been into that phase of my journey here in the forum and had been laugh by other users as well but I still manage to grow activity and earn some merits just recently.  

[friends1980]

Good for you guys for being really tolerant for stuff like this. On a bad day, I could probably see myself publicizing their PMs lol. Thankfully I haven't received any spam emails for a while though, so there's that.

but it seems to be the mid ranking members that do this.

Now this is the quite surprising part.

Surprising, well, yes and no. "My" beggar (yes I've got my own personal beggar now ) was a Newbie, who probably didn't know the rules very well, because it's really not that difficult to get 10 "Member rank" Merits. Most Merit-giving members put the bar relatively low for Newbies, provided they do not shitpost and show minimal "genuine" interest in the boards.

It's getting more difficult once you're on the way from Member and up, I guess, for the simple reason that you need a lot more to rank up.

Like hilariousetc was saying:

It's very hard for an average poster to rise through the ranks, hell, even a decent poster probably won't achieve the sufficient merit to become a Hero within the timeframe it takes to get the required activity (...)

What most people don't understand is that life's too short to care too much about Merit. I've often wondered how much money and energy people lose when they spend their time desperately posting spam and begging for Merit and coins, instead of putting that time and energy in a real-life job with a real-life income (fiat of course, but at least it's better than nothing except for a lot of frustrations and in the end seeing your modest profile getting banned for spamming or begging).

People should come to these boards to learn, participate (that's not a synonym of shitpost) and have a good time (probably in that order).

[rhomelmabini]

If we were going to put our shoe in their shoe having trouble in earning merits then probably we can understand why it let them to decide to do PM to beg for merits. We cannot judge directly to users that are doing this.

For me, it will still not be an option to beg for merit, trust, BTC etc. unless there's no way you could earn it or get it. I've been a Jr. Member before then get to newbie with the new system of having merit to be Jr. Member but it didn't came to mind that I'll beg for it. Instead I work my ass how others are getting or earning those merits. Yeah, we can't judge but at least we could remind them. For those who still have merits in them at least they should try, think outside the box.

It's not that I could just say this things because I have some merits earned but I say it because there's always an option, a way on how you could earn/get it.

Maybe then it's time to modify the current requirements, which are obviously too difficult for most new and some old members. If 1000 merits is the current request for Legendary rank, maybe we should lower it to 750, and Hero from 500 to maybe 350 or 400 merits. Of course, the question arises what to do with lower ranks, because in my opinion Jr. Member is very easy to reach, just like Member (1 - 10 merits) but even 10 times more is needed for Full Member rank which is too much in my opinion.

How glad I am if this will ever be implemented but I don't think this will ever be changed so easily by theymos, I think this requirements are established anymore.

[Lyte]

I was going to post this in the beginners section, but it seems to be the mid ranking members that do this. It is against the forum rules to beg for merit, and not all members are as lenient as I am. If I receive these begging PMs then I just put the member on ignore, so he won't get any merit from me, no matter how good his posting may be. I don't get very many, but I have had a couple recently, so I thought it was time to remind members about merit begging. I don't sell merit either, but it must be over a year since I have had a request to sell merit.

If you want me to award you with merit, apart from the standard awards, then persuade me to revive one of my old projects, so that members can earn merit ,and  be of benefit to the forum.

   The truth is this some would rather go through the easy way to achieve what they want, rather than working hard to achieve their goal. The Bitcointalk forum offers its users the right to work hard and earn merits, not by receiving it in a plata of gold, some users don't even know how to work hard while some don't even read the rules and regulations of this platform. Begging for merit is not a good idea, some people should learn how to earn merits, not beg. Merits should be earned by;
- creating relevant post to the forum,
- creating new ideas to help educate new and old
- members, adding wonderful contributions to help promote bitcoins and lots more
- and creating plagiarism-free posts

[The Sceptical Chymist]

Seems some people are getting desperate to rank up as a couple of people have messaged me recently as well as a couple of people reporting unsolicited PMs.

Yep, I got one unsolicited PM that I could barely make sense of, but it had to do with merits and I think the member was asking me to review his post history.  I don't consider that merit begging and I actually don't mind if members send me PMs asking me to review their posts, but in this last case I deferred replying to the member since I had a hard time figuring out what he was asking exactly.

PMs that just ask you "plz can u give me 1 mrit" or similar ones (I've gotten those too) should be reported IMO, because they're not asking you to give them merits based on the quality of anything they've posted.  Fortunately I haven't gotten any of those in a long time.

By the way, blocking PMs from Newbies is likely the reason I haven't gotten any idiotic merit begging PMs.  That's something I'd encourage anyone to do if they've gotten spam PMs from Newbies.

[hilariousetc]

I can't count any more PMs coming in for me.

I have just the opposite experience, no one has ever asked me for any service related to merit - neither to give them away, nor to sell them. Maybe the thing is that those who do it target merit sources or have some other criteria that my profile doesn't meet

It's very hard for an average poster to rise through the ranks, hell, even a decent poster probably won't achieve the sufficient merit to become a Hero within the timeframe it takes to get the required activity so skipping the queue by donating seems like a win-win to me.

Maybe then it's time to modify the current requirements, which are obviously too difficult for most new and some old members. If 1000 merits is the current request for Legendary rank, maybe we should lower it to 750, and Hero from 500 to maybe 350 or 400 merits. Of course, the question arises what to do with lower ranks, because in my opinion Jr. Member is very easy to reach, just like Member (1 - 10 merits) but even 10 times more is needed for Full Member rank which is too much in my opinion.

Maybe the ranks could be tweaked a bit. Legendary should probably follow the other ranks at 750 merit and in doubling with every one. I'd like to see an additional rank for those very high merited users. Some other perks would be nice.

It's very hard for an average poster to rise through the ranks, hell, even a decent poster probably won't achieve the sufficient merit to become a Hero within the timeframe it takes to get the required activity (...)

What most people don't understand is that life's too short to care too much about Merit. I've often wondered how much money and energy people lose when they spend their time desperately posting spam and begging for Merit and coins, instead of putting that time and energy in a real-life job with a real-life income (fiat of course, but at least it's better than nothing except for a lot of frustrations and in the end seeing your modest profile getting banned for spamming or begging).

People should come to these boards to learn, participate (that's not a synonym of shitpost) and have a good time (probably in that order).

That's like saying life's too short to care about money or a promotion at work. It's those things that often give people a better life so that's why they desire them as ranks here = promotion and more merit = more money and time saved if they can get it. The majority of people who spend their time here desperately trying to achieve ranks or earn from from campaigns are probably doing it because it's one of their better options. Would you rather be unemployed or do back-breaking menial work when you can get paid from the comfort of your own home for doing some posting? Some signature campaigns pay a good amount of money and if you're from the developing world getting on a campaign like Chipmixer might be life-changing money so that's why people are desperate for merit/ranks as it means more money for them. If most of these people had better options they'd probably be doing them but sadly they likely don't.

[friends1980]

That's like saying life's too short to care about money or a promotion at work. It's those things that often give people a better life so that's why they desire them as ranks here = promotion and more merit = more money and time saved if they can get it. The majority of people who spend their time here desperately trying to achieve ranks or earn from from campaigns are probably doing it because it's one of their better options. Would you rather be unemployed or do back-breaking menial work when you can get paid from the comfort of your own home for doing some posting? Some signature campaigns pay a good amount of money and if you're from the developing world getting on a campaign like Chipmixer might be life-changing money so that's why people are desperate for merit/ranks as it means more money for them. If most of these people had better options they'd probably be doing them but sadly they likely don't.

Of course, that's why I said not to care "too much", since some of these people (we're talking about beggars right) are really obsessed or desperate, as if reaching a higher rank leads you to paradise. But indeed, for some people in some regions in the world, even a few dollars a week can make a huge difference, I do realize that.

Just clarifying, I wouldn't want people to think I'm a nut who believes we could all live from "l'amour et de l'eau fraîche".

[The Cryptovator]

The problem isn't just merit begging, peoples are just looking for quick merit earning methods, to be honest. I can't recall exactly who but I had received a couple of merits begging PM, perhaps I made a post about that as well. But lately, I am not receiving such as merit begging PM. I have helped a couple of users to rank up by reporting LoyceV thread Report unmerited good posts to Merit Source. I feel good when I can help someone, so whenever I noticed any user that is near rank up then I try to help him/her. More merits sources are helping as well, really I appreciate them. But begging via PM isn't acceptable.

I'd like to see an additional rank for those very high merited users. Some other perks would be nice.

Second that, there should be something for high merits earner, at least for the appreciation.