I'm new on discussions;what are points?

Question

it says you get points for answering peoples questions or something????

Answer 1

Here's the offical blurb:
When a topic is marked as a question, a question mark icon will appear next to the topic. This lets the Discussions community know that a member is looking for answers to a question. You can review your own resolved and unresolved questions by clicking My Questions in the sidebar. Only question topics allow the poster to award points to members for their answers.
What are question answers?
When a community member posts a question as a topic starter, other members can post an answer in reply. Please note that not all replies actually answer the question.
In some cases, an answer can be just some hints or helpful information to help the poster solve an issue. The originator of the topic can mark such a reply as a Helpful post. In other cases, a community member may post a specific answer that provides a solution to the original poster's issue. The originator can then mark this reply as a Solved post.
The original topic poster has the choice to mark replies as either Helpful or Solved, or not mark a reply at all. In addition, the originator can end the discussion by marking the topic as Answered, which provides a visual cue—a green star—to the community members. This lets everyone know that the topic contains valid helpful information.
Note: Only two replies may be classified as Helpful and only one reply may be classified as Solved in any question topic. Non-question topics do not offer these classifications.
How do I get points for answering questions?
If you submit a reply to another member's question topic, you are eligible to receive points from that member. The originator has the option of marking a reply as either Helpful or Solved, which will add points to the respondent's account. These points will, in turn, increase a member's ranking (status level) in the community over time.
Why reward points?
The reward system helps to increase community participation. When a community member gives you (or another member) a reward for providing helpful advice or a solution to their question, your accumulated points will increase your status level within the community.
Members may reward you with 5 points if they deem that your reply is helpful and 10 points if you post a solution to their issue. Likewise, when you mark a reply as Helpful or Solved in your own created topic, you will be awarding the respondent with the same point values.
Members can see their status level by Forum, Category, or at the main Community level.