2. there should be 3,3.5,4,4.5 etc rating system both for songs and albums
I've wanted the half ratings for a long time but nothing has appeared so far.
So i made my own, create a custom field called Half ratings of Data type decimal. I position this next to the default ratings field in playing now. If i come across a track i think that needs a half rating, i give it either 2 or 3 stars, then enter 2.5 or 3.5 in the half ratings column. This way i get to keep the ease of use of stars (1 click to rate afterall) and
also a half rating if the track needs it. Half ratings are exceptions, i only enter those in, and leave blank for whole ratings.
It's a workaround, but i have this wierd feeling that we won't see half star ratings until the iPod can support it. When that actually happens is any one's guess, if ever. However if it does happen, all you need to do is copy form the half rating field to the new Ratings field and remove the custom field, so its future proof
Album ratings, i created my own custom field called Album Score, this holds the average of all the track ratings of an album. It's calculated manually and entered after i'm done listening to an album the first time. Album scores/ratings are very useful in quickly finding the best of's of anything. This functionality could ideally be done via a plugin, but no one has been interested in creating one to do so. I say plugin, so as to keep MC responsive during a library display. This is something you want to calculate on a periodic basis rather than in real-time.
The hard part with anything is the beginning, once you are done, adding scores for ongoing imports is routine. You do need to be attentive tho, if you alter track ratings in the future, to reflect the changes in the album score. Little bit of hassle yes, but i've been enjoying this since v10.