>The stars (points) are *optional* and kind of 'hidden' (way at the bottom of a message).
>
>The "judgement" is done only by the originator - no one else gets the star awarding options.
>
>I rather like the concept, but *mainly* (in fact, only) because it helps someone to quickly identify an answer or a helpful suggestion.
>
>Is it "fair" - I don't know. Someone (an originator) who doesn't see the points options or who neglects to click one of them may simply be "in the dark" or may feel they have better things to do than to waste all that time clicking on a field.
>
>You will see the options at the bottom of this message when you read it. I may even get my first star on this one < s >

In addition to those two replies so far, we have added recently the ability for a poster to identify a message to be forced to be marked as an answer. See the Points document for the proper section.