Newbie Info.

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How does one get a rating? And what do the different colored stars mean? Is there a place with introductory basic directions so I quit getting frustrated everytime I try and do something here? I really want this to go to the new user discussion but how do I know it will end up there? I don't. What are the rules about posting links? I tried to post a picture of me but it didn't take and I don't know why and none of this is answered in the faq page. Please help.