While I agree that ability is important, contribution to the site is what, in my opinion, should determine XP on this site. Just like on everything. Webster might have a great thesaurus and dictionary, but he didn't write much on everything. Perhaps the reputation of one's posts should become more important. This way, people who write really good nodes will rise to the top, whereas people who just write a lot of nodes will not rise so quickly. If necessary, the amount of experience to achieve certain levels would be modified accordingly.

Also, the sections. I like to comment on a poll, but my comments on a poll aren't as important as a code contribution is. Perhaps WHERE you post should also make a difference.

Just a few more thoughts :-)

Just Another Perl Hacker