"i"ve got blisters on my fingers!"

I agree that some seem more interested in points than content but I am pretty sure you will not be that kind. I followed some of the point grabbers for a while but then stopped following them because it became obvious points were their goal instead of conversation.

For a while I wished the points did not even exist but soon found there were some people who were worth following because they ignored the points but enjoyed the conversations.

Remember you can buy a Tee Shirt that proclaims your approach to life without the points.

Persistence

There is no mystery...just participate on a regular basis. No need to flood the site with incessant posts, just post and respond to posts when you feel you have something to contribute. If you pay no attention to the points they seem stack up more quickly...! Congrats on reaching level 7, that is still an achievement.

You want to level up fast? Make more replies and comments rather than posts...

It is like the digestive system. It just happens.