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Pretty obvious, when you are new here you need to build up your reputation by commenting on unanswered questions. However, when i try to it gives me an error that says Iam not allowed to comment because my reputation is less than 50!

So how then does one accumulate reputation points here??

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2 Answers 2

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You aren't allowed to post comments, but you are allowed to post answers. The way to do that at the very bottom of the page:

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(You could say it's somewhat hidden, since the "add a comment" link is much closer to the question and the top of the page, especially if there already are some answers.)

If you have an answer, write it there. (And be sure to check the editing help, too).

Yeah, that box looks a lot more serious than the small "add a comment" link, but you probably shouldn't let that matter too much. Even answers without all the details are answers. They just might not get that many votes, but answers that are at least correct tend to get at least some upvotes.


Comments are not the same as answers, they're mostly meant for asking clarification, constructive criticism or stuff like that. They're not questions or answers by themselves, but are meant as a tool to make the questions and answers better. Also, you don't get any reputation from them, and sadly they cannot be voted down on.

You can't see it without having enough rep to comment, but the box for writing comments also says: "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid answering questions in comments."

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We have been communicating above in the comments section. You are required to have at least 50 reputation to make such comments (except for on your own questions as I'm sure you have discovered). Also note that you will not gain any reputation for making comments, you gain reputation for upvoted questions and answers (not the same as comments).

This section that I am responding to you with now is called an "answer" and there are no restrictions to who can post one. However there are Guidelines for answering that should be followed to ensure you provide a meaningful answer that is not removed.


Increasing your reputation can happen in the following ways:

  • question is voted up: +5
  • answer is voted up: +10
  • answer is marked “accepted”: +15 (+2 to acceptor)
  • suggested edit is accepted: +2 (up to +1000 total per user)
  • bounty awarded to your answer: + full bounty amount
  • one of your answers is awarded a bounty automatically: + half of the bounty amount
  • site association bonus: +100 on each site (awarded a maximum of one time per site)

This is all detailed in the help section under What is reputation? How do I earn (and lose) it?

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