You can earn roles as your 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 Roles
| Pundit | |
| Writer |
Forum Roles
| Catalyst | |
| Helper | |
| Comedian | |
| Therapist | |
| Wise Owl | |
| Cheerleader | |
| Solver |
Store Roles
| Critic |
Other Roles
| Nomad | |
| Speedy | |
| Photog |
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:
- Your activity on the site and
- 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: you started a forum conversation that had more than 20 replies
- First Replies: you were the first person to reply to a new conversation in the forum
- Reviews: you reviewed an item in the YLF Store or YLF Books
- Mobile Posts: you posted or replied to a post from your phone
- Realtime Help: you replied to a realtime request within 10 minutes
- Photos: you uploaded a photo with one of your posts
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 | |
| Speedy | = | 5 realtime replies | |
| Photog | = | 20 photos uploaded |
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 | |
| Speedy | = | 50 realtime replies | |
| Photog | = | 200 photos uploaded |
One important thing to know about permanent roles is that you need 2 of them to reach the Veteran membership level.
Permanent roles are only displayed on your profile page.
