The point system is mainly for fun.  But, the "financial benefit" is that as you get more points, your membership fees decrease. When you hit 500,000, you have free membership as a Rainmaker.

Competition?

At 500,000 points you get free Rainmaker account.

Its more about what you learn and what you do to earn them, all those activities drive your blog to earn you money if done right.

They keep you motivated and once you reach 500,000 points you get a free account.

Active Rain is a great way to market your business.  When you reach 500,000 points, you don't have a monthly chrge.  It's also fun and challengine and even competitive.

Ranking and indication of your work. The more you blog, comment, participate, the more you are rewarded. Also, the ultimate goal is reaching 500k to get a free public account. 

Aside from reduced to free membership, there is no tangible value to the points. But I love the competitive aspect of it. I think it keeps members engaged and active and I also think it's a great way to track your own blogging progress. 

The point system has no value whatsoever.  You cannot purchase anything or trade them for anything.  What they do is let everyone else know you are committed to ActiveRain and are a source of pride in your dedication.

I use the point system to gauge how long the agent may have been around, how active they are and how knowledgeable they may be.  Again, it is just a starting point.

The points truly mean nothing, but as competitive people, you always want to be on top.

For every 100,000 points your rain maker fee goes down and when you reach 500,000 it is free for life. That is your biggest incentive. Then if you are active and can get up in rankings, it is extra exposire on your states active rain page. 

Kevin Muhlestein now that's a difficult question to answer, even when I love ActiveRain points.....

Kevin,

It is a great motivator for those who are competitive minded.  I think you have to be competitive in real estate...A

The ActiveRain points do nothing for you.  It's an insidious psychological ploy by those that created ActiveRain to keep you active on the site.

Kevin, I agree with Debbie once you pass 500,000 points you have free membership.