LOL I want to add one more thing to anyone who is worried that you need to spam to make points. I post maybe one discussion every couple of months. I do quite a few reviews BUT since hitting 100 I cashed in my points to a gift card. Just by rating reviews, offering suggestions, working on my wish list, reading and answering forums I am making about 2-300 points every two to three days. It's just plain stupid and a waste of time to cheat the system. You add in the outrageous sales we have and BAM you are on your way to toys in no time. ~end rant less

Hey, guys:

Airen's right--you will always have people who abuse systems, especially ones as generous as EdenPoints. While we do not want to have to ban people as we really hate doing it, we do talk to people who are abusing the system and encourage them to contribute to the community. Sometimes this doesn't work and we have to take more drastic measures.

I think people get so excited over getting the points that they don't realize that the points will add up even without them becoming greedy. Or some don't care. We just try to steer them in the right direction. Although repeated following and unfollowing of contributors and companies is not as serious as, say, bogging down the forums, it's still something we discourage. Like I said, we encourage them to contribute to the community in more meaningful ways.

It can be difficult for the community to be welcoming to members they see taking advantage of EF's generosity, and I understand this. Their behavior goes against what we try to instill in this community. But it's entirely possible that these new members can turn into meaningful contributors.

I appreciate people notifying me of abuses. Sure, it does create more work for me, but it's my job you know? And you all have been really great. Truly. I really appreciate all that you guys do and I'm happy to work with you in keeping this community awesome. And it is, you know? Through all the disagreements, we have a pretty damn awesome community.

For those of you worried about the community getting punished as a whole because of a few who misbehave, do not worry. We have no plans to get rid of EdenPoints. Some adjustments might be made, but you all will still be rewarded for your activities. Like others have said, do your best to ignore frivolous forum threads. But do keep me posted of suspicious behavior (such as the aforementioned following/unfollowing. You guys just keep doing what you're doing and those little issues will eventually get resolved one way or another.

OK, I think that's enough out of me. I hope you all have a great week, and I'll be seeing you all in the threads and elsewhere. So, let's make this week kick ass, shall we?

P.S. - Thank you all for being so great. less