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To Point or not to Point. That is the Question.

By TeamCHI - Complete Home Inspections, Inc.

Home Inspector with Complete Home Inspections, Inc. TN Lic#050

January 22, 2016 06:51 PM

    Once again, the points question comes up. Yesterday, in the Q&A section, Bob Stuart posed the question, “Should the points system be done away with.” Of course, everyone had an opinion pro and con alike.
   When ActiveRain started in mid 2006ish, there had to be a hook to get folks to participate and actively engage. I think it was genius! Competitive folks play to win and the points system was brilliant. In a time where blogging platforms were vying for participants, ActiveRain carved a niche with real estate professionals by rewarding them for their efforts. Now, with so many at the top of their respective states, it does make it difficult for newbies to get to the top spots.
   Real estate professionals, like professional athletes are serious about their chosen fields and play to win. Professional athletes play to outscore their opponent, otherwise, why compete? RE Professionals play for recognition, too. Why have rookie of the year or other awards for outstanding performance? People compete for recognition. I know many members who have “gamed the system” to amass additional points. Thankfully, they were banned or chastized in some manner. Moreover, there are those who make comments that they did not get their points. So points must be important.
   The real question is: “Will ActiveRain lose its competitive advantage on the blogging stage if they did away with the points system?” Will folks interact to the same extent as they are now? To make a short story long, folks want to be compensated for their time and effort. I feel that the point system is fair compensation for time spent here. As always, my 2₵’s worth and the change in your car caddy, will buy you a free seniors coffee at participating merchants . . .

TeamCHI ~ The Complete Home Inspections Team

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Sam Shueh

(408) 425-1601 - San Jose, CA

mba, cdpe, reopro, pe

It is an incentive to blog and measure one's activity. If it is removed it will be a silent site. I am for it.

There can be a NEW meansurement like kudos and offer a banner for those who received most admired fans.

Jan 23, 2016 09:58 PM

Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate, CRS, CIPS, SRES

Tropic Shores Realty - Ich spreche Deutsch! - Spring Hill, FL

Florida Waterfront and Country Club Living

Most of all, points don't cost a thing!

Jan 23, 2016 10:44 PM

Mary Yonkers

Erie, PA

Beth Atalay

Cam Realty and Property Management - Clermont, FL

Cam Realty of Clermont FL

Michael, we're in sales, we track our production, we measure our success, we plan with numbers. Taking away points is not going to change the quality of posts. I would love to see the compelling argument regarding points so I know what the other side is. If you read all the comments from those who want to keep the points, they have legit reasons why but I haven't seen the other side. I'm not really buying into "quality of posts" statement. Keep em!

Jan 23, 2016 10:54 PM

Rob Arnold

Sand Dollar Realty Group, Inc. - Altamonte Springs, FL

Metro Orlando Full Service - Investor Friendly & F

Why not keep the points? If someone slacks off blogging and participating, they will slip to the bottom of the point ledgers anyway.

Jan 23, 2016 11:08 PM

Retired from ActiveRain

Baker, OR

A cursory look at the leaderboard at the local, state, and overall level shows that a relatively small percentage of the 277,000+ people with AR profiles are active or even somewhat active here. Take a look at how many people there are with just 1,000 points or fewer. Also take a look at how many people with 100,000+ points have not been active in a year or more. The true elephant in the room is why the attrition rate on AR is so high. Points are a great way of showing who is active here and who isn't, by virtue of whether their point level is increasing or not.

Jan 23, 2016 11:12 PM

Richie Alan Naggar

people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA

agent & author

Being able to redeem points will make them have a purpose and trigger a massive cause & effect in regards to them.

Jan 23, 2016 11:13 PM

Richard Bazinet /MBA, CRS, ABR

West USA Realty - Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix Scottsdale. Sellers, Buyers & Relocations

Great post! It's not pointless. Rene Descartes would be very proud of you. I hope I get an extra 5,000 points for my comment.

Jan 23, 2016 11:37 PM

Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP

DFW FINE PROPERTIES - Flower Mound, TX

Selling Homes Changing Lives

TeamCHI - Complete Home Inspections, Inc.

Great post for discussion Michael! Since I'm nearing the million, I would be so upset if points go away!

I like them because it's an incentive to improve my blogging skills and build relationships with other people. When I look at how many points I've earned for writing blog posts consistently, and seeing how many of my posts were featured there's a sense of pride and joy! I measure what I've done with others on ActiveRain in Dallas and Denton County. When I see how many features I've had, it becomes an obsession for me to continue writing quality content. I hope and pray Bob Stewart and owners on AR will keep points in place but would consider removing inactive bloggers who have been absent for long periods of time.

Jan 23, 2016 11:49 PM

Mary Yonkers

Erie, PA
Claude Labbe

Washington, DC

Michael J. Perry

KW Elite - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster, PA Relo Specialist

Points create TOUCHES . Touches create a spirit of BELONGING & COMMUNITY . Let me make this perfectly clear , I am goal set daily to score 300-600 points of activity . That will have me touching and interacting with a lot of ARers . Remove the points and ALL OF THIS EFFORT WILL BE GONE !

Jan 24, 2016 12:38 AM

Mary Yonkers

Erie, PA
Rusty Wright

Lancaster, PA
Laura T. Perry

Lancaster, PA
Michael J. Perry

Lancaster, PA

Pat Starnes-Front Gate Realty

Front Gate Real Estate - Brandon, MS

601-991-2900 Office; 601-278-4513 Cell

I didn't see the Q&A; didn't log in yesterday, but I'm all for keeping the points. If folks are not longer contributing, well, that's a decision for the staff and owner to make. For instance, I disappeared for about three years, but when I returned, my precious few points were intact. I'd hate to see them wiped clean or be branded a non-contributor.

Jan 24, 2016 02:02 AM

Warren Schutt

Warren Schutt Real Estate - Danbury, CT

Helping People with Their Moves for over 40 Years

I check in every day. There's always at least one post that gets my attention and keeps me thinking. I don't post often, but I enjoy commenting. Although I don't get a lot of them, points are a gentle incentive to me. Yes it's a game, but there's nothing wrong with feeling a bit of a reward - just like a smiley face each day, back when I was a kid.

Jan 24, 2016 02:12 AM

Scott Godzyk

Godzyk Real Estate Services - Manchester, NH

One of the Manchester NH's area Leading Agents

I LOVE the points system, it is indeed what got me motivated to become more active, then the results kept me coming back. There is no doubt i am more active with other parts of AR because of points. It took me years to work my way up the ladder in NH and on the leaderboard. I would be VERY upset to have my points taken way. I sure hope Bob Stewart does not take away the points. I can predict with a certainty usage would go down.

Jan 24, 2016 04:00 AM

John Novak

Keller Williams Realty The Marketplace - Las Vegas, NV

Henderson, Las Vegas and Summerlin Real Estate

Yes, ELIMINATE points!

The original purpose of the points is not relevant today. There was a time when we could write 20 posts per week, make unlimited comments, map communities, upload photos -- primarily to build content and authority, and secondarily to spur engagement.

Today, quality content is what matters. Every Rainer would benefit from writing 2-3 awesome posts per week instead of 10 average posts just because they need points or want to maintain their AR ranking.

Hubspot found that companies with 1-10 employees (comparable to a single agent or small team) that publish 11 or more posts per month drive much higher traffic. SEOBlog recommends once per week. Moz says "you certainly don't need to blog every day, or even every week."

Any post, comment, or answer that is not our best work dilutes from the overall quality of the site. Eliminate the points and let us blog and contribute because it's the right thing to do for our business.

Jan 24, 2016 04:20 AM

Tammie White, Broker

Franklin, TN

Larry Johnston

Broker, Friends & Neighbors Real Estate and Elkhart County Subdivisions, LLC - Elkhart, IN

Broker,Friends & Neighbors Real Estate, Elkhart,IN

It seems as I read these comments, that the majority want to keep the points, for motivation, SEO, competitiveness and so forth. For those that want to do away with them, why should it matter to them if there are points. They ignore them anyway. Why should they complain about points, if they don't pay attention to them.

How about a button that you push that gives you a choice to have "Points" or NO Points". When all said and done, there will be very few that will not want to see where they stand in the points system.

It would be like running a marathon. Some run to be competitive and others run just to be there, not expecting to win. They don't abolish the idea of medals or ribbons, because a few are not in it to place high in the field.

I think there will be many who drop out of the race if there was no reward at the end. How would you liketo run a race amd when you get to the finish line they told you they discontinued telling how well you did.

I Say keep the points and keep the members.

Jan 24, 2016 08:09 AM

David Barr

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty - Sarasota, FL

Unless they can be left to someone in a will, points are pointless.

Post an insipid trivia question: points.

Reblog: points

Ask a stupid question in Q&A about what your first thought of the day was: points.

Get rid of them.

Jan 24, 2016 10:13 AM

Mary Yonkers

Erie, PA

John Pusa

Glendale, CA

TeamCHI - Complete Home Inspections, Inc. The points system adds motivation.

Jan 24, 2016 10:53 AM

Melissa Jackson REALTOR

Trinity Premier Properties - Azle, TX

Helping You Make The Right Move

I like the point system. I'm not gaining as many as I could. The accumulation of points and advancing in position on the board are perks!

Jan 24, 2016 12:17 PM

Gita Bantwal

RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA

REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

I like the idea of points for blogs and comments. I agree with others who said there will be less participation if there are no points. Instead of 10 posts a week they can reduce the number of posts and expect 200 or more words per post for seo.

Jan 24, 2016 07:49 PM

Mary Yonkers

Alan Kells School of Real Estate/Howard Hanna Real Estate - Erie, PA

Erie/PA Real Estate Instructor

Here is my $.02 from someone who motivated by points

Keep the points
Revise the point structure (debate what earns points & what does not)

Observation: the naysayers who want to do away with points already have LOTS of points.

Jan 25, 2016 10:24 PM

Mr Ronald Rajnesh Gounder

Financial Instrument - Lake Butler, FL

BANKING INSTRUMENT

Sir
I am direct to a lessor who is capable of delivering BG/SBLC/MTN for lease which can be used in all forms of projects. Our banking instrument are fully cash backed hence can be transferred from one banking co-ordinate to another banking co-ordinate. We can carry out any bank to bank swift in accordance to our working procedures. we deal with the direct principal, brokers and mandate

With a bank instrument you can establish line of credit with your bank or secure loan for your projects in which our bank instrument will serve a collateral in your bank to fund your project.

Our leasing fee is 3.0% and brokers commission is (0.5%+x%), My commission is closed at 0.5% on the the lessor side while the X% is the lessee broker's commission hence the commission can be determined by the lessee broker. There is room for negotiation with our prices

Mr Ronald Rajnesh Gounder
Email:grounesh.advisory@outlook.com
grounesh.advisory@yahoo.com
Skype:grounesh.advisory

Jan 26, 2016 07:46 AM