by D. Victor

Created on: January 06, 2009   Last Updated: January 25, 2009

Like writing stars, rating stars are based on a combination of quality and quantity. Unlike writing stars, the algorithm for rating is mysterious. However, the structure for rating credentials is lucid (it is perhaps the only thing about rating that can be classified as "objective").

You can have a minimum of one rating star and a maximum of five rating stars. To qualify for a rating star, you must have at least one article published on Helium's website. The quantity of rates completed (in the last 90 days) is a very significant determinant of your rating star status.

To earn your first rating star, you must have at least 40 rates in the last 90 days. If your rating score is above 85%, you can earn an extra rating star for the first four levels. Therefore, you can earn 5 rating stars with a minimum of 300 rates in the last 90 days. With a rating score between 75% and 85%, you'll need a minimum of 500 rates in the last 90 days to have 5 rating stars.

I have managed to maintain a rating score of over 85% even though I completed more than 1600 rates in the last 90 days (at the time of writing). The rating score is an indicator of your rating quality. Rating is important to Helium. Quality rating is just as important. Keeping an eye on your rating scores gives you a gauge of whether you are servicing the Helium community or doing your fellow members a disservice.

The rating algorithm is a secret and rating is a subjective matter. Therefore, I would not pretend to give you specific rating tips, since rating priorities and method are somewhat personal. However, it is important to be honest and consistent in judgement when you are rating. Haphazard rating may still get you a few capricious rating stars, but you will find that you need more rates to do so.

Since Helium has implemented the rating bonus and daily revenue (with a minimum of one rating star as a requirement), there is more of an incentive to rate. This does not mean that careless rating or dishonest rating should be considered a means to the end.

You have to find time to rate consistently, but the easiest way to earn rating stars without completing too many rates is to focus on quality. Earning rating stars is now easier than before. To the delight of most members, Helium introduced channel-focused rating. This makes it easier to have better quality and quantity rates and employ fewer skips per rating session.

Rating does not have to be a long and laborious task if you know what you are looking for. When I rate in my areas of expertise, my rating quality is given a boost. Your knowledge and interest in the areas that you rate is what makes rating fun. Another rating tip that will help you to increase your stars is to rate an article in the position of a web reader searching for information on the topic.

Also, rating is a comparison between articles. It is easy to determine if one article is better than another on most occasions. What you have to be careful about is the extent to which you determine that one article is better. The rating comparison (slightly more/ more/ by far) is very nebulous. It is safer to stick with "slightly more" as a rule of thumb unless the gap in quality is sufficiently large.

You can rate well without acting as if you're marking dissertations. If you consider rating to be long and laborious, then you are probably not even rating articles as well as you ought to. After performing this activity for a while, you will develop your unique rating method. This will help you to rate faster and even improve the quality and consistency of each rate. Snail rates are not necessarily good ones. Keep those tips in mind and your rating stars will shine brightly.

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