Should PM.com increase gamification to engage more people?

This is a no brainer. The more medium of engagement are available the better, and gamification is a highly engageing mode. The study shows a disccipled application of theory in a stimulation gives you better understanding of the topics and last a longer memory

Hi Jim, I didn't see that study. I agree on the PDU fiasco. You may or may not agree but I don't see how 1 hour of reading should = 1 PDU particularly since it is unverified. What if I read really slowly and cover one paragraph?

I think Gamification bring a game theme bases learning opportunity wherein content could be an animated game (scenario, situation around PM knowledge/process areas) which may indulge some end user in specific PM scenario to learn, examine and enhance skill.

Point based reward system for learning could improvise satisfaction and experience which may evaluate into loyalty as well

Getting more people participating is one thing.

Need to keep them participating. Many have contributed for a while then stop.

Maybe some badge that represent contribution in a given time frame. So you gain the badge and if your not active for a duration you may loss it. Like a moving average.

Gamification can initially encourage people to participate, but only to a point. What keeps people participating is receiving a material benefit. For example, on ProjectManagement.com getting new badges or watching our Influence Score rise is initially fun, but it soon becomes apparent these have no real-world benefit (our pay doesn’t increase, we don’t get access to special areas on the site, etc.) Therefore, why would someone want to continue expending energy on something that is clearly meaningless?
Electronic games keep people returning because they offer rewards that give practical benefits - better weapons, equipment and access to increasingly skilled players as one’s own skill increases are tangible rewards for participation. In contrast, gamification in the business world usually gives only empty rewards. If we change this fact, I’m sure gamification can have much more impact in a business environment.

Dear Sante:
Interesting this reflection
I know many people who are PMI members who do not know about ProjectManagement.com (they don't even have the profile created) or, if they do, do not derive the benefits of belonging to this community.
I am not sure when I joined ProjectManagement.com.
At first I simply attended the online conferences and read some articles on topics that I considered relevant.
I have a question to ask:
- Are moderators receptive to new people actively participating in this forum?
However the Pareto Principle applies here.

PMI is doing the same thing that a lot of other organizations are choosing to do: trust their client. Of course, the project manager's adage rings true at PMI: "trust but verify".