What is this?

[Maighdlin]

This isn't really important, but it's been bugging me. What the heck are the little medals over our heads and what do they represent?

[Ortamus]

This isn't really important, but it's been bugging me. What the heck are the little medals over our heads and what do they represent?

50 posts, that's right, you grind posts now.

[ExiledOne]

I found this post:

Here are all the images for the post ranks:

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/i.../postrank1.gif
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/i.../postrank2.gif
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/i.../postrank3.gif
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/i.../postrank4.gif
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/i.../postrank5.gif
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/i.../postrank6.gif
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/i.../postrank7.gif
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/i.../postrank8.gif
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/i.../postrank9.gif
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/i...postrank10.gif

And this is a special one where they combine post rank images to add on to the chain:
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/images/misc/kin.gif

Edit: compiled a quick spreadsheet by checking random threads, and recording all the posts counts and their ranking images. This is what I've come up with so far (it's not definite but gets the basic range):

postrank1gi.f = 1-9 posts
postrank2.gif = 10-19 posts
postrank3.gif = 20-29 posts
postrank4.gif = 30-49 posts
postrank5.gif = 50-99 posts
postrank6.gif = 100-249 posts
postrank7.gif = 250-499 posts
postrank8.gif = 500-999 posts
postrank9.gif = 1000-1999 posts
postrank10.gif = 2000+ posts

As for the kin.gifs not sure, the max it appears you can have of them is 4.
So 4 kin + postrank10 (2 gold medals) = 6 gold medals

[Niwashi]

I thought the number of likes you've both given and received on forum posts factors into it somehow as well.

[Maighdlin]

I found this post:

Ah thank you very much!