In this Internet age, we live in a world of ratings, endorsements and mutual admiration. People who don't know me rate me and endorse me hoping I will do the same for them. In my opinion, all this is motivated by vanity and greed.

We made the decision at DOTmed that when an end user customer rates a seller, it should have more weight than when a business associate rates that same seller.

Next year, in 2014, DOTmed 100 will give greater weight to the ratings submitted by end users.

To protect the identity of end users, we're allowing them to submit anonymous ratings where they are identified as an employee of a hospital, imaging center or clinic. This will protect everyone from unscrupulous marketers who use our site as a prospecting tool to send out spam.

The good news is that other end users visiting DOTmed and our Virtual Trade Show will see real ratings from real end users and as a result, be more likely to do business with you.

Ask yourself: Would I rather do business with someone who has received 50 ratings from their colleagues or 20 from their clients?

Don't let our rating system catch you off-guard. Ask your clients to rate you anonymously. You'll be glad you did.