i am new at this what the heck is with levels and points?

self inflating ego busting nothingness. but enjoyable.

You can get the details by going to "My Q&A," which is in that green line up there, and right below where it says "My Points" it says "Tell me more." Click on that, and you will get all the details of the point system.

Here's my spin on it. Have you ever heard of a "token economy?" It is a device used by behavioral scientists to punish non-compliance and reward compliance with a system of rules. In my opinion, this is a legitimate way to arrange something where participation is voluntary. I'm opposed to making such a thing compulsory, but you can figure alternatives might not be any better sometimes, so . . . anyway, it is used a lot in juvenile detention facilities.

A token economy in virtual reality is the "point system." The rewards (10 points for best answer, down to only one for voting or rating) and punishments (-5 to ask a question, plus all the violations, including 86-ing) define the priorities of the program. And we agreed to be held accountable to the Community Guidelines as part of being permitted to use the program.

But the thing is still in Beta testing, and one of the most important tweaking areas yet to be done is in Community Guidelines. How to write such a "constitution," in effect, to be fair to those of good will, while blocking those who I call trolls, whose purpose is to disrupt.

Anyway, welcome to the experiment!

The more questions you answer, the more points you get. The more points you get, the higher the level. I'm at level 5 and there is no limit on how many questions I can answer.

You can't do anything with your points except bragg to your friends about how smart you are.....)(

"To encourage participation and reward great answers, Yahoo! Answers has a system of points and levels. The number of points you get depends on the specific action you take. The points table below summarizes the point values for different actions. While you can't use points to buy or redeem anything, they do allow everyone to recognize how active and helpful you've been. (And they give you another excuse to brag to your friends.)"

For more info, http://answers.yahoo.com/info/scoring_system;_ylt=...

U get 2 points for answering questions, -5 points for asking. The points is to make u think your getting something lol. I hope you enjoy asking and answering questions because i sure do! :-)