We are pleased to let you know that the beginnings of the ratings system are now in place. To give you all a better idea of how the rating system works, I will try to post a clear description.

Points are an important aspect of your profile. To a certain extent, they represent your credibility and influence on the site. Points can be a status symbol, they can be competitive, or they can be used to unlock new badges and features on the site.

The basic idea of our rating system is that the number of points you have is directly proportional to your power on the site. Basically what this means is that the more points you have, the more your say is worth.

To help visualize this, we have created a series of ranks...each one corresponding to a particular range of points. The first few ranks are below:

1. 0 - 74
2. 75 - 149
3. 150 - 299
4. 300 - 599
5. 600 - 1199
6. 1200 - 2399

etc, etc...

As your points increase (or decrease) you will change ranks. Many features on the site, such as 'Initiating in mixtape showdowns' and 'creating your own gang' will require you to have reached a certain required rank.

How do you earn points? Well, right now it is pretty limited, the only way to earn points is to receive positive ratings from other users. However, in the very near future we will be adding many ways to gain points.

The Power of Ranks:
Probably the most important aspect of gaining ranks is that as your rank increases, your rating power increases. When you rate someone's profile, you are given a range of scores from -5 to 5. These translate directly into points. So a score of 3 will add +3 points to that person's score. This scale of -5 to 5 will remain constant and you only ever have to rate the user one time (although you are always encouraged to re-evaluate your decision, and you can change your rating at any time).

So, if the scale is always -5 to 5, then how do ranks fit in? Well, the score you give the person will be multiplied by your rank. If you are rank 6 and give a score of -5, that user loses 30 points.

The beauty of the system is that every time your rank changes, every rating you have ever performed is automatically recalculated.

The ultimate goal is that the top ranked users (those who are rated most favorably by the community) are entrusted with the power to have a greater impact on the definition of 'quality' for the community.

Anyway, there will be many changes to this system as we go. So, please use it, experiment with it, help us find problems.