Nothing good comes easy and that includes ranking up in the forum, so you have to take it one step at a time, especially for newbies who don't have any crypto knowledge. If you join the forum and your main goal is to begin to rank up, then you can be in for a big disappointment because no member is obligated to give you merit to rank up, no matter how good you are. First thing first, a newbie needs to understand the forum rules, read sticky threads as a guide to the board. Expect to be criticized, learn from experienced members, make research and express yourself with quality posts, then hopefully somebody will give you merit.
Right, you have it all in your statement. It needs to be emphasized to newbies that there's no guarantee of ranking up easily even if they are smart. Understanding the forum rules and its scope is the main thing, the second is the intention to learn and the third is the desire to contribute in any form to the forum itself.
The newbie stage in the forum is the most difficult phase one can find himself especially when you're also not too experienced in the whole Bitcoin thing. It's a state we've all gone through and sometimes taking a step backwards to look at the quality of the post you made at the start and what helped you stay strong despite the many times you went against forum rules and almost got into trouble, it reminds one that it takes discipline and dedication to stay long enough on the forum.
Key things that are necessary to survive well in the forum is that you must fall in love with sharing your idea on every subject matter you have the slightest knowledge of. You don't need to be exceptionally knowledgeable about the thing before you give your opinion, your little idea might be what the next person might find useful. The more your contribute to Bitcoin related topics, the better you understand it. Even if it will take a combination of research and fact finding before contributing, it's still better than making assumptions when you literally know nothing. Creating topics as you grow is also very key and helps you to clear your doubt through the responses you will get from the thread. Growth on the forum is similar to growing in real life. It comes with challenging times that might want to push you down, it's how you respond to that challenge that matters at the end of the day.