How reputation works

Reputation is a rough measure of how useful other people have found what you post. It is earned from other members' actions, never awarded by hand.

What earns reputation

Action	Points
Your answer is accepted	+15
Your post is upvoted	+5
You accept an answer on your own question	+2
Your comment is upvoted	+2
Your post is downvoted	−2
Your comment is downvoted	0

Two things worth noticing. A downvoted comment costs you nothing — commenting should never feel risky. And accepting an answer earns you points too, because closing your own question helps everyone who finds it later.

If someone changes their vote, the reputation follows. Un-accepting an answer takes the +15 back and gives it to whichever answer is accepted instead.

The four levels

Level	Reputation
Beginner	0
Contributor	100
Expert	500
Community leader	2,000

Your level is shown on your profile and beside your name. It reflects sustained contribution — there is no way to buy or rush it.

Community reputation

As well as your platform-wide total, you have reputation within each community, earned from your contributions there. Someone can be an expert in one community and a beginner in another, which is usually a truer picture than a single number.

Growing it

Answer questions in a subject you actually know. One accepted answer is worth three upvoted posts. Reputation follows from being useful; aiming at the number directly tends not to work.

You can see your full history — every award and where it came from — on your Reputation page.