Vote for your favorite titles here. It seems we need more, but I am of the opinion that they shouldn't be too complimentary since it would drive people to post senseless drivel (not that anyone does that of course) simply to hit the mark...
Hee, hee. Like you imply, people do that now. If you have levels, people will try to get to the next one. Not everyone, but some. I know that I do. It doesn't particularly matter what you call it.
If you want to remove that issue, get rid of titles and don't show post count. After all, post count doesn't signify knowledge or qualification.
While we're at it, rep can also be misleading depending on how it is gained. In forums, you can (and do) get a reciprocal situation where it's like "scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours." I like the "Thanks" concept. While not immune from such issues, at least thanked posts can be viewed by anyone.