Q: What is the number that next to my name?

A: The number next to a Steemit user name is call reputation score. This score will determine the amount of value a user have brought to the community.

The higher the reputation score you have, the more your posts will be visible to your followers and the community, and people here always trust, follow more for users with high reputation score.

The lower the score you have, the more likely you will be seen as a spammer.

Every new user starts off with a reputation score of 25.

Try to keep it as high as you can.

Note: Steemit will hide your post if your reputation score go down to 0.

Q: How do I Increase my reputation score?

A: Think of your score as game levels.

You start as level 25. In order to level up to 26, you need a certain amount of experience. You can earn these experience through people up-vote your posts or your comments. And when you have enough experience, you level up :D

NOTE: the amount of experiences you received from each vote will be different depend on the reputation score and Steem Power of the person that vote.

example: one up-vote from a user with reputation score of 60 and lots of Steem power can help me level up to 26. Mean while i will need 10 up-vote from 10 users with level 25 to help me level up to 26.

Q: What causes my reputation score to go down?

A: When some one with higher reputation scores Down-vote your posts or comments, then your reputation score will go down.

if someone with lower reputation scores than you Down-vote you, this will have no effect at all to your reputation score