I signed up for an account a week or so ago so I could post a question. I had tried several things before resorting to SO, and got upvoted for my research before posting the question (putting my at 6 rep). That question remains unanswered...
Figuring I'd try and help other users, I set out to find questions for which I knew the answer. There were several, but they were already answered, so I moved on. Many more needed additional information, but I couldn't comment because I needed 50 rep for that. On one question, I suggested providing additional information as an answer because I had no other way of suggesting it. That was immediately downvoted (rep back to 1) and eventually deleted (rep went back to 6). I answered one or two questions with bona fide answers, only to see some of them downvoted, too, because I didn't explain enough or some such. Some of them were even upvoted, putting my above 15 rep so I myself could upvote. Those downvoted answers - and the original questions - eventually got deleted, too, and my rep went back to 6.
I go to post an answer to a question today, complete with an explanation and everything, and find that I am banned from posting any answers! I can't go back and edit my (deleted) answers because the question itself was deleted. I can't answer any new questions (which would then get upvoted) because of the ban, I can't upvote anything myself, and I can't comment on anything to have the OP provide more information. It seems the only way out of this is to post new questions myself, which seems like a terrible solution.
Why is it so difficult for new users to help out? What kind of community treats new users with such disregard that they don't have the privileges they need to help out effectively?