I don't use it in it's traditional state. If you click my Music Forums link and go to the Music Lyrics or Music Videos section you can see how I use it. I have had great success using it that way.
i have used zoints for over 1 year now and can say it has helped with page rank and vistors. but not alot to boast about. zoints is only good for very large forums, if you have a small forum you wont benfit from it