Illustration 1) This is the up-to-the-minute rating of the lens. This updates straight away. The figures in your dashboard only update once a day.



Illustration 2) This is the number of people who have rated. If you rate a lens no matter how many times you click on it, it'll only count as one vote. Even if you are to later change your vote up or down.



Illustration 3) The rating you give will only be shown after you refresh the page.

When people rate you, it has an effect on Lensrank.

Quite possibly even a "negative" or low rating will have a positive lensranking effect on a lens.

Whether this will always be the case is unknown, as the Lensranking algorithm has changes and tweaks made to it by Squidoo HQ.

Rating and Lensrank aren't the be all and end all of proving the worth of a lens.

Keep in mind the internet doesn't operate with a rating and ranking system when a visitor is reading a persons webpage somewhere out there on the world wide web.

Ratings can bolster a persons lens ranking but the effort and time required to participate in a forum thread encouraging Squid Pro Quo (you pat my back and I'll pat yours) would be better spent formulating and laying plans for promotion of your lens to the world outside of Squidoo. Both online and offline. Reciprocal ratings give a quick spike but have not the long term effect of good Search Engine rankings or being linked from a high traffic site.

The other area of concern is asking for a rating in a persons lens. It can look as desperate as begging, and distracts to the reason why a person is there.

They are there to be informed, enlightended, educated, entertained or a dozen or reasons. They don't need nor care whether you want a click on the five stars at the top of the page. A module or even a sentence asking for it takes the stream of information off-topic.

And getting into a habit of asking for ratings will wear thin very quickly. Can you imagine a lensmaster with a dozens of lenses with each and every one of them stopping and saying "Rate me! Rate me!".

A university professor doesn't stop a lecture to hear praise from his students as to how clever he is. And a comedian doesn't sidetrack in the middle of a stand-up routine to remind everyone how funny the joke was that he just delivered. They get on with the job that they started, and head to the finish line with dignity and class.

And from that they get respect and appreciation.