do you think that the points on answers..?

Question

do you think that the points on answers (or other similar things) will replace currency?

or

is there a supply or demand for points here?
if so, what does it get you?

Answer 1

Currency? Not for another 2 years. It won't become a substitute for $$, but it will have new uses for this website. What they will be is anyone's guess (I think Yahoo! will give users an opportunity to bid for answer ad space in the future) but nobody really knows.

As far as an actual economic study could be concerned, there are two main problems: people don't directly trade points, there is an unlimited supply of resources to be had. What could be measured and compare would be the rates of exchange, but that takes extensive analysis.

More than anything else, earning points gives users a sense of gratitude and accomplishment. Sometimes asking questions can do this as well (look at the famous people who have used this site to spread the word). Either way, we're spending time to get to know each other as individuals and as a species.