[tifo_gcs]

I like the fact that it is possible for one to turn off the rating. Rating should be optional, because it's got to be really annoying if you have a low rating. On the other hand, if I had a really low rating, I'd probably try to change something in my posts, like be a bit more attentive to what I'm saying and if I'm stepping on anyones toes because of it. Currently, only one person has rated me, and that happens to be a five. I take that as a compliment because I've only been involved in a few serious threads, and while my debating skills have been dulled because I'm no longer in school, I interpret it as meaning that I have made an impression on someone in here, which is not easy given the amount of new people and material that greet me when I turn on my computer and log on.

In turn, I've only rated one or two people and I try to do that as fairly as possible. What matters the most to me is that the person contributes. It doesn't matter if it is in Middle Earth Mayhem or The Books, what matters is that the person can bring something relevant into the present thread. But I don't plan on rating a lot of people right away. I'm still new.