Yet Another What am I? Puzzle

Question

1) From my birth I want to rise

But I shall fall, its no surprise

I should display approval from afar

But pedantic snobs is what you are.

2) I could produce a rise in rank

But not if my cachet has sank

Uplift me please, by 288*

And my master will reach another state

What am I?

*time sensitive

Answer 1

You are

Stack Exchange Reputation.

1) From my birth I want to rise

But I shall fall, its no surprise

Everybody wants their reputation score to improve, but downvotes, vote reversals, and other rep-decreasing events are inevitable.

I should display approval from afar

But pedantic snobs is what you are.

Rep only goes up if someone else expresses approval of your actions (upvoting a post, approving a suggested edit, etc.), but they won't do that if they're too nitpicky.

2) I could produce a rise in rank

But not if my cachet has sank

Higher reputations gives more site privileges

Uplift me please, by 288*

And my master will reach another state

The OP needs approximately 288 rep points (284, when I posted this answer) to break the 2k barrier and achieve new privileges.

What am I?

*time sensitive

Answer 2

I think you are

Bread

From my birth I want to rise

Bread rises due to the yeast in it

But I shall fall, its no surprise

It gets eaten

I should display approval from afar

Rises in the oven?

But pedantic snobs is what you are.

People watching it rise in the oven, or criticizing what it tastes like etc?

2) I could produce a rise in rank

From dough to bread

But not if my cachet has sank

Uplift me please, by 288*

Cook at 288 degrees, obviously time sensitive

And my master will reach another state

Bread!

I've left the clues I couldn't get blank