Leaderboards are a popular form of community gamification in which the top performing members are displayed according to their contribution to the community. How rankings are determined depends on values and priorities of the community, but they are typically the result of various actions that have been quantified into points.
Some examples of points-worthy activities include creating, replying or engaging with a post, visiting a new community, inviting other members to a community, or receiving replies or engagements on a post the member has created. In most cases, administrators do not receive points for their activities and hence do not rank on the leaderboard.
Like badges, leaderboards can encourage community member engagement but need to be handled carefully. Community managers should confirm that scoring aligns with their organization’s goals and monitor discussion around the leaderboard closely to ensure that it is not alienating lower ranked members.