I don't know how long it would have taken to earn the Link and Image abilities the normal way, but I guess one month would be about right. But if you ask me, that's one month where posting would be a chore more than anything.
I mean, those are the most basic of abilities to have on the net, since basically browsing the web is, at its most basic, reading text with pictures and being able to click on links to get elsewhere. I'm sorry if I sound bitter, but I really didn't have much interest to post in a crippled manner compared to all the other boards I'm a member of. The inability to edit posts is still something that I miss, because often I would have something to add after making a post, but since I don't want to have too many posts of mine one after the other, I'll just say to myself "oh, to hell with it".
I think that the reward system should be about things that are cool but not necessary. For example, being able to have a larger avatar, to change the color of our text, to use additional smilies beside the basic ones, etc. Those are fun and would enable board members to personalize their posts.
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"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard
B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me