As I recently replied on another thread, numbers don't mean you have to be competitive... that's not their purpose.

Their purpose is to inform you, as another member/reader of a thread, the kind of member who's replying... Is it a long-time member with thousands of posts (so they have a long-time reputation around here and their advice may reflect that wisdom), or are they someone who just joined yesterday (and therefore we don't quite know where they're coming from yet).

A "SuperPoster" is recognition that some people are prolific posters and a sort of "thank you" for being so (even if sometimes it's in a forum like games). Hugs let you know that you may be dealing with a particularly generous and open member.

These kinds of statistics have been a part of forum software for over a decade, and a part of our community since Day 1. It's unlikely we're going to remove them anytime soon, but I do appreciate both the feedback and the recognition that such numbers can mean different things to different people.

Best,
DocJohn