You can earn roles as you participate on YLF. These roles are represented by badges that you will see on your profile page and below your profile picture in blog comments, forum posts and store reviews.

There are unique roles associated with the different parts of YLF:

Blog

Pundit
Writer

Forum

Catalyst
Helper
Comedian
Therapist
Wise Owl
Cheerleader
Solver

Finds

Critic

Mobile

Nomad
Photog
Speedy

You can hold multiple roles at one time.

Roles are based on points that you earn. There are two ways to receive the points that add up to a role:

  1. Your activity on the site and
  2. The appreciation of other members

Activity Points

These points are calculated automatically as you participate. Here are the specific activities that generate points:

  • Blog Comments: you commented on a blog post
  • Blog Posts: you wrote a blog post
  • Hot Topics: your forum conversation got more than 20 replies
  • First Replies: you were first to reply to a new forum conversation
  • Reviews: you reviewed an item in the YLF Store or YLF Books
  • Mobile Posts: you posted or replied to a post from your phone
  • Photos: you uploaded a photo with one of your posts
  • Realtime Help: you replied to a realtime request within 10 minutes

Appreciation Points

You can give appreciation points to people who reply to conversations that you start in the forum. Here are the types of appreciation points that you can give and receive:

  • Comedy: for a post that is funny
  • Therapy: for a therapeutic post
  • Wisdom: for a post that shows deep understanding
  • Boost: for a post that boosts your confidence
  • Solution: for a post that solves a practical problem

Note that only full members and veterans can give appreciation points to other members. You can read more about member levels here.

From Points to Roles

You will earn roles as your activity and appreciation points accumulate. Here are the number of points you need for each role:

Pundit 20 blog comments
Writer 1 blog posts
Catalyst 3 hot topics in the forum
Helper 10 first replies in the forum
Comedian 5 comedy appreciations in the forum
Therapist 5 therapy appreciations in the forum
Wise Owl 5 wisdom appreciations in the forum
Cheerleader 5 confidence boost appreciations in the forum
Solver 5 solution appreciations in the forum
Critic 3 reviews in the YLF Store and YLF Books
Nomad 5 posts or replies from your phone
Photog 20 photos uploaded
Speedy 5 realtime replies

Roles are always calculated for the last 30 days, so they will fall away over time if you are not active on the site. You can earn permanent roles though.

Permanent Roles

In addition to the roles that you earn for your activity over the last 30 days, you can earn permanent roles. These are harder to get, but once you have them you keep them forever.

Pundit 200 blog comments
Writer 10 blog posts
Catalyst 30 hot topics in the forum
Helper 100 first replies in the forum
Comedian 50 comedy appreciations in the forum
Therapist 50 therapy appreciations in the forum
Wise Owl 50 wisdom appreciations in the forum
Cheerleader 50 confidence boost appreciations in the forum
Solver 50 solution appreciations in the forum
Critic 30 reviews in the YLF Store and YLF Books
Nomad 50 posts or replies from your phone
Photog 200 photos uploaded
Speedy 50 realtime replies

One important thing to know about permanent roles is that you need 2 of them to reach the Veteran membership level.

Permanent roles you earned that you don't currently have as a current role are faded when they appear next to your profile picture.