Trepidation,
Under the old system, Sire's recall how long it took to get from Necromancer to Sire. Some Necromancers never made it. They sat at level 27 for a year or more.
Under the new system, bonuses are more important the higher your level. There is a higher magnifying effect. Once you're within striking distance, which is a base score between 85 and 90, it should be easy to hit level 100 if you maximize your bonuses.
If you don't, that's okay too. Eventually your base score will hit 100. But those members that do the 'preferred' VR activities (whatever has a bonus attached to it), will find level 100 all that much easier to obtain.
It's why I'm telling Sire's who lost Sire not to sweat it. The position can be regained rather quickly, as you found out. I think in the worst case, one of our Sire's dropped to level 92. The reason was a real lack of bonuses. Now this member can focus on their pages viewed and time spent, which will boost their base score and get them to Sire, or they can work on their bonuses.
The pages/time route will take *a lot* longer, because the member is at level 92 and base score improvements at that level are very difficult. Focussing on bonuses, the member can get there much faster. Maybe in 1/5 the time or less.
How long does it take to increase your Profile rating or find a few hundred people to add you as a friend? How long does it take to create a journal that is interesting and read by others? These things take days or weeks. They don't take months, as was the case under the old system.
Now, look at things from the perspective of a new user. They have a system that is always moving. If they focus on the 'preferred' activities they'll find their levels increasing very fast. If they maximize their bonuses from the start, as they build their base score they will skip several levels with every update. SilenceKills is correct. New users will find it all much more interesting. It's better all the way around.
DeathsEmbrace and jennaKARRO are both correct. As always, you don't have to understand anything about the system. It takes care of itself and updates itself when you log on.
jaggedxtears,
I cannot answer in your particular case, but this is what I suggest:
1. Do a status update before you log off for the night. Record the results.
2. The next morning when you log in, log in and compare the numbers. You'll have to wait 10 minutes to update your status after you log in.
It's the only way to get a real answer. If there is a shift, it must have to do with one of your bonuses.
Several things that can happen while you're gone that will move your status one way or the other the next time you log in:
1. People have blocked you since your last visit.
2. People have dropped you from their friend or journal lists. Or, people have deleted and you were removed from their lists this way.
3. Referral points have moved somehow. Either through your referrals increasing in status, loosing value because they're no longer premium, or through deletion.
4. Your profile rating is different and that bonus is different.
All these things and more can shift while you're away, and they will all affect your level. The only way to know for sure what's moved is to record your status updates and compare. The system is *very* good about showing you exact numbers. On 232 friend lists, on 94 journal lists, etc. You can quickly hone in on where the change is.
To all,
Your level will shift around. It will go up and down but it will stay within a range. If you're at level 80, you're not going to wake up the next morning, log on, and be at level 70. There are some major bonuses like marks, that when removed can have a large impact. But these few cases aside, your level will be stable within a range.
What will not shift around, ever, is your base score. This is the 'stable' portion of your status.
