I am rather new here, in respect to actually getting involved, learning the protocol and building my own rep along the way. Personally I feel that +rep isn't something that should go full circle, because it's highly unlikely that 2 members would happen to contribute something simultaneously that merits a +rep boomerang.
Just a few minutes ago I received +rep from a Jr Exec VIP, and frankly I feel honored that he found my post worthy of taking such action. Consider this: If I turned around and "handed" him +rep would his level of appreciation/respect for me increase, or would he see me as a "+rep-leech" that actually lowers the quality level of the members here?
I regret that due to my inexperience here, and my failure to READ the rules that relate to each category, I somehow managed to get 2 infractions the very first night I actually spent some time here after deciding this was the place I wanted to be. I admit that at the time I felt OldSalt was just being an OldFart by nailing me for something that "I" felt was not such a big deal. I had a chat with a Jr VIP I met here, and his comment wasn't what I wanted to hear necessarily, but it also established with me that OldSalt did a pretty damm good job of protecting the integrity of this site & the members who were actively involved.
Instead of making a new profile and avoiding -rep before donating, I manned up to OldSalt & bz's decisions and soon thereafter made "Donor" status so I could begin my journey.
The point is getting handed anything that you haven't earned is exactly why Pirate Bay has such a following. If this place was a leech trader's hangout then I would have an infraction free profile, but I would not have met some amazing professionals that I have both received from & given to as well. I apologize for the rambling session, but hopefully some part of it made sense to someone. Thanks to OldSalt & bz too. =)