Seriously? THIS is your "argument"? Have you considered the less than 5 star rating may be because the thread was highjacked by smurf?
When I rate a thread that has no ratings, why isn't it reflected in the rating system? Like maybe there's a minimum number of ratings givers before a rating will be shown? What's the deal?
3 ratings is the minimum for the stars to show up. To speed things up just create 2 more ET accounts and then rate the thread 3 times.
I don't rate threads. But if a thread has a low rating, usually that is a sign that it worth looking at it, and if it has a high rating, it is often silly but it can also be a good thread. Views is a far more accurate predictor of a thread's usefulness to someone, not ratings. No different than a business that gets repeat customers."I am not interested in what you say. I am interested in what you do". So do I care that you pasted a little star on my thread, or that you come back over and over again to read what i (and others with same or counter arguments) have to say? So essentially there is almost no correlation between the rating and the interest of a thread to me, but I am far more likely to enjoy a low rated thread than a high one. Imo you should feel some level of accomplishment when a thread is given a low rating - think it through. When a person doesn't need the approval of others to be happy or to know the force of his argument, a certain amount of peace follows. "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." ~ George Bernard Shaw
Again, I don't care whether Baron keeps the ratings or not. But what I've observed is that most of the systems detractors consistently get low ratings themselves.
I don't think anybody ever thought: "I am going to read only 4-5 stars threads." If they did, they were idiots and their opinions should be dismissed....
Thats good you feel that way, because don't think I havent noticed your threads often get 1 starred. (even when they are good threads)
Real Estate is about location, location, and location. The internet is about views, views, and views. I understand that you care how many pointy things a thread has, that is why you seem sad. I am pointing out that you should feel good about the fact that your (and my) threads have only one sticker on them, and if it doesn't make you feel good, at least use a real metric, like views. But it doesn't seem to hit home. ANY thread that has over 2500 views is a success. ANY thread that goes on for more than ten pages is a success. Don't worry about pointy things. It reminds me of the trick that teachers use on kids in pre-school: Teacher: I will give you two stickers, worth a WHOLE TWO points, if you sit quitely and pay attention. Student: But teacher, what do I do with the points. Teacher: Nevermind what you do with them, they are very desirable.