Well, I suppose my opinion on this point won't count for much (since I'm just another one of them damn newbies
), but what exactly would it achieve to have such an "honorary member" group, Sebatianos? As it is, it's easy enough to see who is an active poster who has been around for a while: the date when someone joined and the number of posts he or she has made are displayed beside every post.
And don't forget that having such a clear distinction between regulars and newbies might also be slightly intimidating for newer members. I know I would feel intimidated by it. To give you an example, I already feel a bit awkward when I read those happy birthday threads, because they contain lots of posts by people who appear to be rather chummy and know each other quite well. I can never decide whether I should just go ahead and wish a complete stranger a happy birthday or whether I should just ignore that thread and continue feeling a bit left out... What I'm trying to say is: it's not all that easy to become a member of an already existing community, and if you can't become a full member of the community until you've been around for over a year, it just gets harder.