Basically, i think you just need to be active and get enough posts. Obviously they shouldn't be nonsense posts though. I think I just got rid of my newbie status recently even though I've been a member for over a year. It's mostly because even though I peruse the forum, I rarely ever made any posts until recently. So ask questions, answer questions, and just be active and it shouldn't take long at all.
At least I believe that's what it takes...