Originally Posted by PhxMJ

For those folks who are new, the SPEED icons are representative of a fastlane's users contribution to the Fastlane Forum. Here are some tips for you newbie's out there who'd like to go a little bit faster ...

1) Post threads that stimulate discussion. You don't need to post answers to get speed -- on the contrary -- you acquire speed by asking good questions.

2) Answer / comment on topics that are posted by "Speed Givers". In analyzing the administrator logs here, there are 2 very distinct groups here ... those that give and receive speed ... and those that rarely give it. If someone has spent 50 minutes answering threads you post and you don't speedo them, you're cheating them -- regardless if you like their answer or not. Respect our member's time by speeding them.

3) Don't cheat someone of their speed. If someone writes 5 paragraphs of comments to your "Will this business work?" thread and you don't give them speed, you are a speed cheater. On numerous threads, some of our frequent and thorough contributors (including myself) have written long, thoughtful responses that consume 30 minutes of our time to compose ... respect their time by paying them a little speed-up. If you don't -- they will unlikely respond to your questions again.

4) If you Speedo+ something and comment at the same time, tell them at the end of the post! If you like someone's comments, append your comments with a simple "Great idea, Speed++". This establishes you as someone who remembers to give speed and also pays the author respect. (ADDED: Please use sparingly as we don't want 1 great thread with 50 speed responses)

5) All topics can be rep speeded! You don't need to post great business topics to get speeded. I've rep-speeded jokes, news stories, and funny cartoons.

6) Post links to great "Fastlane" news stories. Unfortunately, our news aggregator doesn't find every fastlane news story. If you find one that you think is in line with the "Fastlane" mentality, post it! (Please no plagiarism)

7) Out-of-the-box thinking. Even if it slightly brings a thread off-topic, out-of-the-box thinking will help you score speed.

8) Strategies, Epiphanies, and Life Tips. If something works for you and you post those details, its likely to improve your speed. Doesn't have to be monumental -- but something that can make a difference. For instance, if you have a strategy that allows you to wake up every morning at 6am refreshed and feeling motivated, post it. "How I Failed and What I Learned" is likely to earn you big speed.