Correct Eska, I've never voted anyone to be helpful - I've always now, I realise, been denied the right. That score board for stars would look very different had I been. I'm going to be busy if this ever gets sorted out for me - put it that way.

But I don't even have a button that I can press to vote for a person. There's no option there.

The Forumgate Scandal 2010!

Darn, I don't have one then. I'm going to have to get in touch with the moderators. :-s I have quote and send PM only.

Eska, you've never been more correct. I'm going to click on the helpful user button for both yourself and Sneaks - and Juju (incase Juju is helpful to me in the future). I can't see the helpful user button though - even though I'm logged in :-(

Sneaks, I think you should consolidate any residual feelings of motivation that you have and concentrate on getting some admin work out the way. I hope you find my comments HELPFUL and REWARD me APPROPRIATELY by NOMINATING ME FOR AN ADDITIONAL STAR.

Well, I want something to show for my PhD, so having four stars would be brilliant and provide me with another reason to drink too much. So, if forumites would be nice enough to award me an additional star, then you would be improving my quality of life whilst doing my PhD. Hopefully, it'll be much more useful than the Paul McKenna CDs I've been listening to lately. Increase Your Motivation with Paul McKenna...erm, no Paul, you just make me laugh hysterically as you demand I close my eyes, play cheesy background music and then whisper incoherently in my ears "shh, shh..blub..blub...you must work harder, blub, shh...you're a great person". Or Change Your Life in 7 Days with Paul McKenna..again the cheesy music and: "You're a caterpillar, becoming a crysallis...emerging into a beautiful butterfly...imagine yourself in your favourite suit...that's you all the time".
So, I'm thinking an additional star would work wonders for me, raise my self-esteem enormously and make me a better all-round person. Something that even Paul McKenna and his 'PhD' can't do for me. That's why I'm launching, the Walminski Great Star Appeal.

It has come to my attention that certain members of this forum now have four stars, yet still I only have 3. As a third year PhD student, I find this situation absolutely outrageous (well, not seriously) and feel an urgent need to redress the balance. I must say that I am loyal to this forum, and never ever post on any other forum whatsoever (not even www.weirdos.com-actually a website (just checked)). As if I have not already given enough compelling reasons, it's my birthday next year and I've very recently passed my driving test (but the clutch has broke on my second hand car bought from Honest Harry).

What a nice counter-balance to my earlier doom and gloom post! A lot of it is state of mind, I'm beginning to think.

Take a look at this paper:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T7T-4KBDWP9-2&_user=6146712&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1066260301&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000047642&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=6146712&md5=83049307ff0459ed76fa7bc551b83aba

I can see why you would think that they are very similar.