# User Support > Forum Software Support >  Question about stars

## jmp

OK, I've been using this form for about a year and I have some dumb questions that have been bugging me for no good reason!

1. What is the meaning of the 5-stars icon that shows up by some of the posts on the forum display page?

2. It looks like the stars show some kind of star rating, like 5 out 5 stars, 4.5 out of 5 stars, etc., but what exactly is being rated and how is the rating determined?

3. Why do the stars appear on some posts and not others?

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## Scott Tichenor

Those are ratings. Members are allowed to rate a thread if they wish in certain areas of the site (not the area where this question is being answered though). I've attached a screen shot showing where you'd do that (look for red square box highlight). I'd say most members don't make use of it but some do. 5 stars is the highest approval of the thread meaning people find value in it, 1 star is obviously disapproval. Unlike some other items, contributing to a rating is completely anonymous and you can only rate a thread once. Obviously, if no one has rated a thread no stars will be appearing there.

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