Today we are finalizing a significant update in the article rating system. The old star rating block, where visitors were engouraged to rate the displayed articles on the scale from 1 to 10 stars, is being retired. Instead, we're introducing the new "I like it" button which will allow each visitor to endorse an article by giving it just one star point. This is how the button looks like:

This change applies to all articles across the site, old and new. The old ratings, although safely archived in our database, will no longer be displayed.

"Liking" the post is the simplest way of endorsing someone else's work: a kind of effortless mini-comment. In comparison, the old rating system made it possible to assess the quality of the article on a ten-point scale. In practice, many users found this system confusing, which eventually resulted in only "10s" or "1s" being given, defying the very purpose of the system.

The new "like it" button removes such considerations, being much simpler and non-judgmental.

We hope you'll like the like button! It will remain in beta test for another month or so. In the meantime, please don't forget to tell us about any sugestions or improvements.