In any challenge with a recurring daily or weekly goal, admins have the option of turning on Goal Points. In these challenges, participants earn additional "bonus" points when they hit the recurring target.
Goal Points Example
Imagine a 10,000 step per day challenge running for 30 days. In a challenge without Goal Points, the participants would need to log 300,000 steps to cross the finish line. That is:
10,000 steps per day x 30 days = 300,000 points
(Note: In all steps-only challenges, 1 step = 1 point.)
Remember, in this challenge, the participant doesn't need to achieve 10,000 steps every day. They simply need to average 10,000 steps across 30 days to get to the 300,000 total.
Now consider the same challenge with Goal Points turned on. In this challenge, the participant still earns a point for every step they take; however, they earn an additional 2000 points each time they achieve their 10,000 step goal.
In order to complete the challenge, the participant must earn all of the available Goal Points, or they will need to make up for lost Goal Points on one day by logging more steps on another day.
So, with Goal Points turned on, the challenge gets a bit harder. Here's the math:
10,000 steps per day + 2,000 goal points per day x 30 days = 360,000 points
In any Count.It challenge with Goal Points turned on, normal "activity points" account for 80% of the points required to cross the finish line, while Goal Points are the last 20%.
Activity Points + Goal Points = Total Points to Finish
The 20% bonus provides both a carrot and a stick. It's nice to earn the additional points, but, also, if a person misses the daily or weekly target, they don't just have to make up for the activity they missed, they also have to make up the lost goal points.
Bottom line: The most efficient way to cross the finish line is to hit your daily or weekly goals. If you fall behind, you will have to log more activity to catch up!