Topic: Don't stop, pause, read then contribute. (Read 238 times)

Many members think the merit system is the gatekeeper here in the forum but they are wrong it's all about their mindset, some of the new era higher ranks today comes with the merit system too I'm one of them they/ we keep grinding to learn more, analyze and contribute to the forum having merit is not a race if you think another member immediately rank up and asking your self why you don't its normal but again we have different pace. The longer you are learning and making a contribution the higher the chance you can have merit that helps you to rank up. New comers note that yourself is the one who helps you or prevents you to take another step.

i understand how people can go far in manipulations disregarding due process due to an unsolicited accumulated personal character that need to be changed but they think of been smart in the other way round and that same irritating habbit of theirs still manifest in public as such in the forum like this but thanks to the administration here that doesn't tolerate any showcase of unseriousness and manipulative act.

The lackadaisical habbit of some users that has been a thing of complaints by the people around them still come to the forum to expose such a user, my advice for those in such scenario is to take a measure to amend their way of thinking, run a check of their recent progressive changes if any and create a personal time for discovery of oneself.

But most of the beginners who come to this forum are certainly to get some income and however they will know and examine how to do it. Of course the account must actually actively contribute and get merit.
In contrast to many newbies that come in the past ones that come not to raise account rank, but many places that produce this forum. Some other newbies are still trying to contribute with quality posts to raise their account rank.

I do not quite agree, i understand the point you are trying to establish, but mind you that there are posts that are engaging and elicits quite a lot of reaponse and replies from other users (newbies and every other rank), such posts might not be of extremely high quality, it could just be a question or other whatnots, and it requires other users to come and answer such questions and enlighten the OP and others.

Having said that, there are other posts that basically "says it all", and really doesn't need any extra contribution or addition, as a matter of fact, commenting on such posts leaves the 'replier' with nothing more to say other than just reiterating what the OP must have said which could then be redundant in the end. In my opinion, the OP falls under this sort of post, not that it isn't a good post or that it hasn't been read by many, but it prolly has been read and digested.

This is something spicy for newbies but if you compare your this post to rest of your post's you will eventually see that this post get few reach. Actually newbies now won't like to read this type of educational post and also they don't have much patience. 
All they just want's get promoted . Even I saw a lot of posts in BitcoinTalk Discussion is  in off topic , Intertainment nothing in serious stuff from today's newbies.

I have seen situations many times when users do not read the rules, and then get banned or negative reviews. So the best place to start is to read the forum rules. Further, the beginner himself will decide what to do. If his goal is to participate in signature campaign, then he cannot be condemned for this. If a beginner writes low-quality posts, he will not be accepted into the signature campaign.

Very good post Smartvirus, one of the best posts and tips for new members I’ve read lately.
The problem is that I think most newbie members don’t actually read posts like this at all.
It seems to me that most of the new members come to this forum because someone told them that they can make good money here.
They very quickly become aware that they can't join signature campaigns without the appropriate forum rank, and for that they need merits 
Of course, it is difficult to achieve something quickly and create a certain reputation on the forum, and then reach a certain rank on the forum, and that takes time and investment.
Some new members quickly realize this, work hard and over time become valuable members of our forum community.
Other members are impatient and unwilling to wait and invest, trying to find some shortcuts, which usually end badly for them, with permaban at the end.

This topic is a must read topic for most beginners or newbies in this forum who have only one motive which to accumulate merit and activity forgetting the knowledge which he/ her is losing.

Most of this is caused by the way and manner which this forum is introduced.

My little advise is when introducing this forum to anyone do not tell them the juices path  of it , just tell them the knowledgeable path of it. I believe this will help them reduce the mind set of accumulating merit but focus into the good paths of the forum.

There are two categories of users here on this forum IMO, those who  were introduced to this forum as a means to earn stipends and those who stumbled upon this forum in search of knowledge without prior knowledge that there is a possibility of earning stipends. The first category of persons are focused on getting merits and you often find those not stopping, pausing, reading but just contributing to get merits. The unintentional category that focus more on knowledge are those who deliver much quality and you find out most often that they are the recipients of merits because they have not made earning merits their primary intent but providing value. Newbies should emulate the character of providing value first and not make merits their primary focus.

I see a new generation of newbies so eager to earn merits and scale the ranks in the least possible time. This is one reason why, I admire the activity system of the forum as, though dependent on your activities, its also not entirely independent of those activities as, it follows a stipulated time in its accreditation. Unlike merits that could be abused with an intent although, they both (merits and activities) play there roles so well, each controlling the other. I have seen few proactive users grow so fast on the forum and when you look at there profile to see what's the trick, you become greatly amazed at the kind of contents they put out for the ranks they hold. At one glance, you would note the effort and validity in them contents. A few other beginners possibly have noted this but sadly, instead of putting in work, they come with a different approach/intent solely orchestrated to earn or rub users of them smerits. Trying to drink from the same cup as the proactive once but, with an approach that is rather cunning and elusive.

Why create topics solely for getting merits and scaling the ranks?

Yeah, merits and ranks are desirable on the forum in other to have some opportunities (signatures, creating reputable service threads in the service subboard) and have some forum functions like (uploading: photos, signatures, avatars, getting your wait time on posting increased or off and even sending a pm) open for you but then, what becomes of the case when you acquire all these and learn nothing on the way.

It's funny how they seem to know so well, possibly to have been  oriented or even discovered it themselves of the plagiarism rule on the forum being beginners, stay conscious to the fact on it being outlawed on the forum and still somehow, it becomes the very reason most of them exit with the backdoor. What's even more surprising is how, they seem to propagate a seed of laziness by trying to put links to the source to escape being guilty and to some extent, its pretty effective but, its that how to be proactive and share ideas in actual. Yeah, your not in the wrong, as you don't take credit for someone's work but share in it to have researched and found it useful but,

what happens to your own ideas?
Is it that, you don't trust your brain to produce anything useful?

When your interested in a skill that could aid you (in this case, writing), you learn! Otherwise, why be on a discussion platform and choose not to just stay on the sidelines and read while, asking questions where need be for clarifications! You don't force writing or being proactive on yourself and end up flooding the forum with threads that only bare links. When it gets too frequent of which it eventually does, it becomes a problem. The forum is going to end up having undigested information that's isn't going to do both the author and community no good. For a fact, keeping a keen eye on threads across boards and your likely to find a thread that discusses just what your intent might be and should it provoke a response for which a link to previously read information might shade a light for better appreciation, you do the needful. Not blankly pasting a 50-100% copied content from the web.

Merit and the activity systems weren't just introduced to tame spammers and encourage quality posts only, its in a way, supposed to encourage originality of content as well. The forum is a discussion platform, it allows everyone an equal opportunity of presentation or contribution of a unique idea on a subject being discussed and even avails you the chance to start your own subject or thread. It often don't have to come off some text on the web with some link(s) to the source attached . It could come from your previously and continued digested information or encounters, all organised into a beautiful peice of write up. That would be the more appreciated than, lifting something off the web, add a link to the source and expect some appraisal for doing so. If you must or should have need of a content not of your authorship to add some glamour to your work, it's okay to lift and site it but, it doesn't have to rate upto 50%, when subjected to a plagiarism test. Infact, I would have loved to reduce that stance to 30%.

Now ask yourself this;
Of what use will it be earning or should I say rubbing users of them smerits in the forum and eventually get banned for plagiarism?

In some cases, it's on the same thread or response that got merited that these users get banned! It's a waste, a big waste to the user and then the forum as, users for which might have benefited from such smerit are greatly deprived of them (as: merits can't be retrieved once given for both active, dormant and banned users).

For this reason
I urge all you beginners to Don't stop contributing but instead, Pause to give it yourself the time you need to Read more to grasps or get a better understanding and only then should you Contribute. It would do you a lot of good and you gain a lot by seeking to know and add to the bulk of knowledge by your contributions to help others understand the more better. Ranking up is possible in the forum but, it doesn't resides only in the hands of those creating threads everywhere you turn. If you do that, you might make a mistake and bitcointalkforum never forgets nor forgive.

N/B:
This is in no way to discourage you from posting or making responses but, to urge you to be more original and come up with an intent that goes beyond merits and ranking up.
To play by the rules (be it official or unofficial). Know there are ethics, build yours in accordance to to is obtainable and abide by it.
Maybe you can have merits and ranking up on the sideline but not as an ought most priority.
Gett your intents for being on the forum right and it might help you in the long run.

Be a better forum user!