"I don't know where people got the notion that bars equal level of experience."
Perception is reality.
Whatever notion WE have doesn't matter, and neither do the convoluted explanations that some have come up with to defend this rating system.
What matters is how the people searching for notaries will perceive these ratings.
Switch hats for a moment - imagine that YOU are the one searching for a notary. You have no idea what those bars mean, nor do you bother to click on the little link that might explain it (if you even noticed that link at all). You're in a hurry, and here's someone who has a bunch of those bars - he or she must be better than the others, right?
All the arguments, explanations and defenses being raised here in the forum are meaningless. What matters is whether the people who actually USE the notary search function understand what that rating means. I think that, at the least, there needs to be a caveat posted prior to accessing the search function which states that the ratings 1) are based ONLY on criteria related to the notary's activity on Notary Rotary, and 2) are in no way intended to reflect the notary's experience or abilities.
Don't hide it behind a link - put it out there so they can see it before they start looking.
Even then, I'd be willing to bet that most of the people looking will just focus on the bars... it's a rating, it must mean something, right?
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