redi, thanks for the comment. The Journeyer policy is not about accuracy of the ranking system. That's not really my prime concern. I'm concerned that newcomers that are even remotely worthy have a chance to become part of the advogato community. And since I don't know a newcomer until he's participated for a while, it is improper to judge his merit based on his opening post.
So I'm stuck with two conflicting goals, and a merit system that combines them into one ranking: 1) should he be part of the community, and 2) what is his worth.
I want to answer yes to #1 and never make a judgement on #2. Hence Journeyer is the most appropriate ranking I can give.