I currently have 405 reputation on meta.math. Since I have literally never posted any answer or question here, this would be my first, I would assume that this reputation gets generated somehow from my rep on the main site. But I have, as of now, 434 rep there. How exactly does this work then. Maybe there is an explanation somewhere on the FAQ itself, but I couldn't find it.
I am not complaining about getting 405 rep for free though, just curious. :)
From help center:
Votes on meta do not affect your reputation; your meta reputation is the same as your reputation on Mathematics Stack Exchange (synchronized hourly), though you earn separate badges. You must have 5 reputation to participate on meta.
See also: http://meta.math.stackexchange.com/questions/10765/does-voteup-down-in-msemeta-affect-reputation-in-mse-or-the-converse, http://meta.math.stackexchange.com/questions/6721/how-long-is-the-time-of-the-transfer-of-the-reputation-value-from-the-main-to-th and the meta.SO post Do I get any reputation from being upvoted/accepted on per-site-metas?
However, although they are not shown in the form of reputation, the numbers of upvotes/downvotes or meta are still registered by the system. So it is possible to obtain "reputation-based" badges such as mortarboard, reversal, populist or tag badges on meta. (Maybe it would be more precise to call them "score-based badges" or "upvotes-based badges"?)
