I'm not a new member, I've been on this forum for quite some time now even though in active.
OP, which words of yours do you want us to believe or accept as ''you being a newbie or not being a newbie"? In your post, you said that you are a newbie and here you are saying that you are not a newbie in the forum.
This is not me trying to claim as tho I know anything much, besides Im still a newbie like some of us here and I think I'm not to small or too early to give forum advice if I have something good to say. Since I'm also a newbie I think that one of our major challenge is to earn merit.
OP, you can't leave your account stagnant for some time without getting involved in the forum and expecting it to grow by itself without earning merits.
Merits are not the main focus of the forum, but it is used to serve or judge the level of someone's involvement in the questions and answers made in the forum. However, try and get more involved in the forum than leaving your account inactive for months without making posts.