Struggling to gain rep 'points' and unable to actually help the community [duplicate]

Question

I'm trying to gain rep by adding to questions. Most of the questions I see have already been answered but adding to them as a comment would make the most sense as it's another added help.

Also, marking an answer as correct for me is annoying that I can't even do that and having a list of questions that I've searched for and found and answer would be helpful (this may already exist but I wouldn't know as I can't up-mark any correct/helpful answers).

I've asked questions on the forums but nobody can help with the ones I ask so again I'm stuck for gaining rep and getting answers. Whether I'm lower in the stack of viewable answers due to my rep I don't know?

Is there a simple way of gaining reps so I can fully contribute to Stack Overflow that I'm missing as a newbie?

Answer 1

There are several ways to gain rep, as you know, but not all are simple.

First, set aside your plans to comment. Though most newcomers don't realize it, commenting is a bit of an advanced technique. If a question has been answered, but you have a better answer then go ahead and add an answer. Otherwise, move on to another question, one you can answer.

Second, to get enough rep to upvote, consider suggesting edits. Many questions have terrible formatting or grammar. When you come across one of these, fix it! You will earn 2 rep each time an edit is accepted. This should get you past the upvoting limit quite quickly.

Third, use the bookmarking/favourite feature to help you get back to questions that interest you. There is a small star just below the voting buttons, and you can get to a list of your starred questions from your profile. Alternatively use your own browser's bookmarking feature. There isn't a simple way to get to "questions I have upvoted" so you're not missing anything there.

Finally, your questions are not shown further down a list based on your rep. However many low reputation users don't know how to ask a good (answerable) question. Interestingly, as you edit other people's questions you will get better at asking your own. You can earn up to 1000 rep through suggested edits, so there's really nothing holding you back on that front.