How do Points Accumulate?

So here's a question I've been wondering since I joined Gather and haven't been able to find anywhere. What activities generate more points?

Does writing an article and receiving comments earn more points than commenting on other people's articles?
Do you earn points simply by having connections (whether or not you post or they post)?
Do you earn points simply by being a member or a group (whether or not you post anything on it or comment on other's work on the group)?

Any ideas? Does anybody know if Gather has this information published? The only info I have been able to find is really vague and general and just says you earn points by making connections, commenting on people's content and by adding content yourself.

Comments: 9

LittleMissSunshine A. May 26, 2007, 11:16am UTC

I think you get a bit more for writing an article. You get points for commenting as well. I've never seen exact point formulas published though.

The value in groups is that you publish to more people that way.

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Austin Cushing May 26, 2007, 12:25pm UTC

Based on personal experience:
-- You get (fractional) points when someone views one of your articles.
-- You get (fractional) points when someone views, comments on, or rates an article after following its link from where it is posted in your group.
-- You get points when you post an article, depending (perhaps) on its length.
-- You get (fractional?) points when someone comments on your articles (perhaps based on comment length.)
-- You get (fractional?) points when someone rates one of your articles.

Just keep posting on what you feel passionate about, and sooner or later, you'll get points. It's really that easy. If you want to earn lots of points, the best suggestion is to post something every day, and talk to the people who comment on your work.

I think that receiving comments is better than giving - if only because I've heard people who say they comment on hundreds of articles a day and get very few points, while most people who receive, perhaps, a dozen comments on an article think they're doing pretty well.

Gather doesn't publish their specific algorithm, and they update their points in irregular intervals specifically to keep people guessing. (I'm reasonably sure they change their algorithm to adjust to what users do.)

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Sue * May 26, 2007, 9:27pm UTC

Austin summed it up very well.

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Tonia, who hugs trees G. May 28, 2007, 12:54am UTC

Austin does seem to have as good a handle on it as I've seen. All I know is that there is this algorithm and somehow it does something and points are given and who knows how much for what.

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