For those who are unaware, here's how points are gained:

Points for posting a blog entry: 4
Points for responding to a thread, a blog, or any other node: 4
Points for posting an image: 2.5
Points for posting a story for mod review: 2
Points for starting a thread in a forum: 2

Void, congrats on your high point total.

I slowed down, Voiderest.
I'm spending less time repeating the same old/same old stuff to each and every theist that rolls in here.
I've been posting to theists for almost three years on different sites and only occasionally run across some new delusion.
Often, it is the rehashed garbage that has already been refuted countless times and they need only google a few of the words to find answers that are already posted a few million times.

I don't think that people really understand what the point system is for. If you get a lot of points in one month, are you going to win a prize?

I post a blog because I have a deep-seated desire to express myself. There are many opinions and ideas that run through my head, and they need to come out. This same blog is posted on myspace, xanga, infidelguy.com, atheists.com, philosophy forge, and blogstream. I try to put myself everywhere. Thus, the point thing is rather a nonissue for me. But to others, it might be important to know exactly why they should be attempting to accrue points.

Dissident,

When we get our RRS store working here on the site the points are worth dollars. You'll also get points for spending money as well.

That's it.

If that is the case Sapient you might want to have some rules on spam, or those if games pop up have a way of not counting them.

Oh a rating system on the blogs might be good for points, although that might turn it into a popularity contest.

Well our only spammer is Matt Shizzle. We do have rules on commercial spam and if it something other than that gets out of hand we'll look at things on a case by case basis. Matt posts often, and sometimes short posts, but it's ok. We know Matt isn't just trying to get a free ride. In Matts case he's a major supporter and if he has a ton of points to turn in someday, then our official stance is "good for him, we're glad we could give something back to him for once." The same goes for any other user that makes short posts just to increase post count. Everyone has their place, and we are thankful that people choose to dialogue on our site, it's our way of showing some thanks and saying, "hey, thanks for being active."

We haven't seen what we would constitute as abuse of the system, and I reckon for the most part it'll stay that way.

Actually we have this idea but not just on blogs, on the actual user and everything they do. It's a karma system, it'll get installed someday, likely much later in the future as we get much larger. The idea will be that you can rate any post from any member, and we'll look at the lowest rated posters in X time period and consider their removal from the board if it seems their poor karma is an accurate representation of them. We'll also award people for having the highest karma with different gifts or status pieces, as a thank you for being such a valuable member of the community.

When you announce that you have to say something about an eight armed bitch slapping goddess.

"Bhavani is a ferocious aspect of Hindu goddess Shakti or Devi. Bhavani means "giver of life", the power of nature or the source of creative energy. In addition to her ferocious aspect, she is also known as Karunaswaroopini, "filled with mercy".

Bhavani was the tutelary deity of the Maratha leader Shivaji. A temple to Bhavani, at Tuljapur in Maharashtra, dates back to the 12th century. The temple contains a meter-high granite image of the goddess, with eight arms holding weapons, and bearing the head of the demon Mahishasura, who she is said to have slain in Mysore."

eight arms holding weapons and decapitates demons