by Karon Brandt

Created on: December 07, 2009   Last Updated: February 05, 2010

Since you need to rate articles to earn a daily share of advertising dividends, most Helium writers participate in the required "community service." As a compromise, you do not need to rate to earn upfront pay for fact-based articles (if you're among the first five writers to submit) nor do you need rating stars to earn money from Marketplace publishers or for contests.

There has been much debate in the forums about the value of rating, the necessity for it, and the accuracy of it.

We have all seen substandard articles with high ranks. Articles are constantly being rated around the clock, in all time zones and countries, before the article earns its final spot according to group consensus. Once a new article is added or someone in the group gets a leapfrog accepted, the articles begin a new round of ratings.

If you believe articles receive arbitrary ranks, check out how consistently four- and five-starred writers - rated anonymously - rank in the top five. That's not coincidence; that's proof the system works.

Although the writers are the heart of Helium, rating is its "soul." That's what sets Helium apart from all other writing sites. All writers can gain quick, valuable feedback about how well their works are being received by a general audience.

Members/raters/writers can also e-mail direct feedback to a writer - good or bad - and they can offer suggestions for improvement, if warranted. That's what makes Helium a true writer's Community. As friendly competitors, members want quality material on the site, so that their own ranks have real meaning when they earn the Number 1 spot.

Note the "rate" button in the upper right corner of the Helium pages. You may rate any time you want. Helium "encourages" and "reminds" you to rate every time you submit a new piece of work, but you do not NEED to rate then. If you are not really in the mood to read/rate at that time and give some undivided attention to others' serious efforts, choose a later time when you can.

Helium offers a reward of $3 monthly for those who rate consistently about six article per day over a three-month period. Establish a regular pattern of ratings. You need to do 500 "quality" rates over 90 days to earn five gold rating stars, which earns $3 each month. If you're especially good at rating others, scoring at the 85 percentile, you can earn $3 for 300 ratings.

Ratings consist of comparing two side-by-side articles, written by two different writers to the same title. Writers may not include their

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