Pops your post really should have been on /blogs/Mark-blog/2018/06/25/the-scoop-on-jive-rewards-badges-points-and-quests and not here but I'm going to respond one time in-line here. Any other additional comments should be put on my blog above as this topic is only for reporting issues with points not accumulating.
Mark
EX Community Manager
I don't agree that recognizing responses as helpful or likes is clickbait. Points are a monetary/credibility system associated with online communities to recognize contributions by members of the community. It's true that helpful answers are used a bit incorrectly here(/blogs/Mark-blog/2017/06/19/helpful-answer-vs-likes-what-s-the-difference?sr=search&searchId=2b14a08...) in the community when the like button should be used. But those buttons do more than issue points. They also factor into the algorithms that assist the recommender on the site dynamically suggest content in emails/notifications/search/widgets, etc.
Pops wrote:
This entire concept of receiving pts based on likes and helpful etc....that is commonly referred to by the internet gurus, as "click bait."
I Posted the levels so that people know if they're curious. We don't promote the leaderboard. It's something that simply cannot be turned off without affecting other aspects of the site that statistically are proven to improve people's quit success and motivation to stay involved in the site. We've done some work to remove widgets that have mentioned the leaderboard.
For those who aren't interested in the leaderboard, they can simply ignore it. For those who use it to see who's active on the site and want to know how long a person has been around it can be an indicator of that. It may also be motivational to some. Each person will get a different view. There are competition based aspects of it that we were and did turn off.
Pops wrote:
It is merely a road map to higher levels....I'll give you this, the people @ the top of the leaderboard....well, they are the most active on the site without any doubt whatsoever. However, it would appear from a distance, a race to see who outranks whom?
I recognize that it could be contentious for some however we're not in any way promoting it as a competition. Please rather view it as one of many badges that marks past contributions and commitments to the EX Community. Each community has a slightly different gamification/reward system.
Pops wrote:
I can't for the life of me see where that could lead to anywhere but a contencious feeling from the next person that gets jumped over....Is it justified? Probably not, but it still feeds into a touchy area that I personally do not wish to travel.
We are listening and have thought about it ( /blogs/Mark-blog/2018/06/25/the-scoop-on-jive-rewards-badges-points-and-quests ). If you choose to give your points away, that's up to you. You wouldn't be able to give them away if the point system was turned off though 
. And badges would also disappear if we turned off points. People seem to enjoy giving them with and without points and new people have commented privately to me that they thought the badges were really nice and unexpected..
It may be uplifting and encouraging to other members who receive points from you but I'd suggest not doing so in mass quantities as it could artificially inflate some members levels to a point where it could create confusion about their level of participation on the site. As mentioned above point level could contribute to perceived credibility of advice given however it shouldn't be the only factor of credibility and common sense should also be used. I've read some very good posts by people who post infrequently.
And yes the site is about helping people quit and we aim to help a wide variety of people in our approach. I do appreciate your opinion.
Pops wrote:
So to anyone who might be listening, I would gladly give you every single point that I have, if it will help you to keep a cigarettes out of your mouth. After all, that is what this site is about....isn't it? Just my humble opinion....
Pops w/102 DOF....
Please feel free to ignore the point system if you don't feel value in it. It's not working from time to time for some people so I can see how that can be frustrating. Since it you don't feel value in it, it doesn't matter that it isn't working. If you want me to remove you from the leaderboard I believe I can but I can only take requests on an individual basis and it would remove reference to your join date as a side effect.
Pops wrote:
please note, I have never mentioned my point tally in my blogs....lol....Sort of reminds me of that sad country break up song where she tells her exhusband when asked what he should do with the diamond ring she left behind? She simply says..."just throw it away...." That is what I feel about this entire point system in the first place.
Someone must have stolen all my points? 
Nope. They're there.
There is a widespread Jive Rewards issue affecting lots of communities that I just was alerted to a little bit ago. It is being worked on which likely caused the issue you experienced. Once it is resolved I'll post to let you know it should be resolved. I believe it is separate from the topic of this thread thread however as it just affects fewer sites.
Mark
EX Community Manager
