new levels are attained by reaching a predefined, but arbitrary total of xp and writeups, which are given in the faq. the system grants special powers at certain experience levels, such as "cool", which rewards the author with 20 xp and sends the writeup to the "cool user picks" column on the front page; the ability to create basic chat rooms on the site; space for uploading a picture to a user's "homenode"; and the ability to hide one's self in the list of logged-in users.