Gather

I haven't been active on Gather in a while (but hope to start up again once my life is back in order!), but last I was there, points were updated ten minutes after the hour, each hour. Points are earned - as others have stated - by being active on the site. Nobody knows the exact "formula" as to what and how much activity equals a point, but for best results, post lots of pictures, videos, and writings/articles (make sure it's your own original work/content) and comment on other people's content as well. It has been said that even just viewing other people's work without doing anything will earn you a little if you do enough of it. I suspect you also increase your point-earning chances with views on your own content because I still continue to earn small amounts each day despite not being there. Points are redeemable for Paypal payments, gift cards, merchandise, and charity donations. You can check the point offers to see what your options are and how many points you need to obtain for each item. It can take a month (or even a little more at times) to get paid though. The best advice I can give you is to just be as active as you can and if possible try do develop a network and audience for your posts to increase your chances of getting hits and comments. A lot of people will comment back if you leave comments for them. In my experience, Gather has always been an incredibly nice and friendly community. Sure, there have been a few unpleasant people there but all communities have that. It certainly doesn't have nearly the noise you see on MySpace and Facebook and things like that. The people are a lot more mature and have more interesting and thought-provoking things to say. It's one of the few paying communities I would probably love even if I didn't get paid.

If I am correct, this is for US residents only, right?

I haven't heard about this site before. But after a quick look on the site, especially reading the 'About Gather' page, seems that it's a site where you get rewarded for sharing contents (articles, experiences) and freelancing. It's best to ask the one that referred you to this site, as he/she knows more better about the site. Ask him/her to guide you.

Well, you generally earn money on this site by being active on the site. Which means by commenting on discussions, answering discussions, starting discussions, replying on discussions, and just being active on the site.