Yup, that's a must on these boards.

The way I look at the rating and thumb thing is this:

Rating: An acknowledgement of one's value in contributing info about a company, be it PR's, SEC filings, researching articles written by many news outlets, analysts etc, and commentary as one sees fit.

Thumbs: A thank you for above, and stating to others that it's a good read, in other words, worth one's time.

Many members on these boards do not care to do anything but lurk, so the thumb thing helps them breeze thru and only click on those who many feel are the good ones.

Both of these serve as an indicator of sorts, but not extremely important in the overall scheme of things. People come to these boards for various reasons, so to each is own.

Good luck in your efforts Doc!!