Posters' ratings

[SteveD]

Give posters a rating based on the number of stars they are awarded for their answers by the people posting questions.

[smudge]

Not necessary, because some users don't even acknowledge answers.

[bernardo]

I agree with smudge - I prefer to let answers speak for themselves and be judged by each reader. Advertising the questionner's own personal opinion of each answer (or how useful they find the answer) is petty, personal, bourgeois and self-indulgent. If a questionner finds an answer particularly useful (or otherwise) I don't see why the rest of us need to be told of that opinion. I would prefer that the stars be abolished all together.

[BenDToy]

Me too Bernardo. It is not a competition. People answer questions because they enjoy doing so, for whatever reason.

[thewillow]

Bourgeois! Bernardo, I thought I was the only one who used that as an insult!

[bernardo]

The description "petty, personal, bourgeois and self-indulgent" I seem to remember was the one which Doctor Zhivago's half-brother Alec Guinness used to describe his poems. I suppose my mind must have been polluted by all the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist-Stalinist-Kimist-Hoxhaist-Trotskyite literature I've been reading recently.

[Hippy]

Point scoring detratcs from relevancy. We should co-operate; not engage in a tournament. Stars given by the question poster to answers are a neat way of acknowledging the answers, and the answerers know that their contribution was worth the effort.

[brawburd]

I would be quite happy to see the end of the stars. What are we rating? Relevance, accuracy, the effort of posting? I think the stars are pointless.

[thewillow]

bernardo - thank god, at least someone else is reading something other than harry bleeding potter.

[Wraith]

I have to agree, the stars do seem rather pointless. I found myself, today, giving a rating for a helpful answer, but then wondered if I might offend them by only giving them a 2 star rating.
No offence to anyone. I appreciate all answers, whether they are useful to me or not, you still took the time to post them, but from now on I won't be using the rating system.