People are leveling up already...

Just remove post count entirely, ok.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Instead of displaying levels or post count, we should integrate a graphical spectrum that changes color from red to green depending on the amount of posts that a user has per day. This will show you who the most active members are, and the least active. I think that this would be a healthier alternative to displaying numerical levels, since levels only widen the gap between new and old members.

I think it's practical. It emphasizes on how often a user contributes, rather than how many times he or she had contributed. Levels are supposed to represent how active a member is, but all it does is infuse a false sense of superiority. Arguably, the spectrum would do the same, but since it is highly variable with only a few color values, it would actually encourage participation in the forums. And though it may encourage a user to post more to raise his level to green, the user has no real incentive to spam posts because of the spectrum's limited color values.

You could even overlay the spectrum with some witty text. Who knows. The red side of the spectrum may say "Why am I even here," or the greenest side of the spectrum may say "Why are you addicted to a video game forum."

There's nowhere I can't reach.