It's an alternative to the star hack. Just with a different twist. Also there are more levels for advancement than the standard 1 through 5 stars. This has an infinite number of levels (you may need to create icons for 5000, 10000, etc if users have more than 50,000 posts). The way I have it setup on my UBB is every ten posts, the user gains a shield level. It helps in promoting conversation!
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Code Warrior - Chainmaille Armourer
Code Warrior's Chain Mail Page The Chainmaille Board