We all know the beginning stage is not easy as a newcomer needs to be patient. Atleast he or she should be getting no matter how little some reward for their resources in terms of time and materials.
I joined the forum and all I told some people around me about it, the next question is," how much have u earned", I was absolutely discourage as I remained mute till date.
Your account was registered in the forum on the 5th of December this year, so by right you should be more focused on learning about the forum, Bitcoin and the entire cryptocurrency space unless you already have these knowledge before joining the forum. If that be the case, earning merits should not be a big deal for you because you would be able to contribute meaningfully in discussions across the forum.
Furthermore, there is no thread dedicated for earning merits because merit is awarded to comments deserving it irrespective of the board and thread. Many people earned most of their merits even in this beginner's board; you just have to study what those highly merited individuals are doing and you will be earning merits effortlessly.
Finally, as a simple advice, if all you think about is how to earn merits from the forum, you will never enjoy the forum and it will not take long before you become frustrated and consider disappearing. The best is always to feel at home, be yourself and enjoy the forum and all the available resources. You can earn free money in the games and rounds section if you are eager to earn money. You can also join promotional games of some projects in the same gambling board. There is so much you can do in the forum... just feel free to explore the forum.