So I have looked through the FAQ and guidelines and all of that such as well as the forum and didn't find the answer easily to say the least. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place or maybe I am just missing "it". Either way, when approving a story a small number pops up next to your name. I usually see it say 1 but as of recently I saw it say 2 for me and other people I have seen as high as 6.

What does this number mean and how is it relevant/related to my approvals?

Thanks!

P.S. Again I am sorry if this is somewhere else. I searched and couldn't find it easily.

That is the "approval points."

Users start out with an approval worth 1 point.  When they submit enough stories and their CRank increases to 10, then they receive 2 points.  3 points corresponds to CRank = 15, and 4 with CRank = 20.  Moderators are worth 6 points, and Administrators are worth 10.

Another note, if you have 8 comment bubbles or higher, your approvals are worth 2.

Here is a similar thread with more information too: http://forums.n4g.com/tm.aspx?m=594867&high=CRank

Ahh thank you. I was wondering because I did think it was based off Crank but I recently joined and have just  Crank of 5 but I also just recently got 8 bubbles

Didn't know that it had an effect as well. Thanks again.

Edit: Any chance we can make the Approval Score thread stickied? I just have a feeling it would make it a lot easier to find and explain to people. My 2 cents...