Star ratings for everything May18 '05

Lately, I’ve been contemplating the fact that a lot of things I do in life are given a rating of "one to five" stars.

When did this "five–star rating" system become such a big hit?

I know it happened for me sometime during 2004.

First, it happened with iTunes. Then, with Netflix. Now, with flickr.

It seems you can’t make a move, these days, without rating something first.

But why? Why do these "systems" need me to rate everything I experience?

A system for user experiences

If you’re involved much with technology and the internet – you probably have noticed increased "suggestions" to rate whatever it is you have just "absorbed," whether it be a movie, a song, a photograph (among many other things).

These "suggestions" to rate your experiences is becoming a fixture in systems that attempt to manage a person’s tastes, style, and preferences – in order to provide better user experiences, that "cater" to a person’s needs or desires.

A "mouthful," indeed.

In simpler terms – if a system (such as iTunes, Netflix, or flickr) knows you, it will then know what you like, and what to present you with, or show you more of.

After all, we want to experience more of what we like, right?

These types of systems, which gather user feedback (through star ratings), are able to conduct comparisons between the "properties" of our "top choices," and the "properties" of other experiences.

By examining the "properties" of other experiences (such as movies, songs, photos), the system is then able to present us with "new" experiences, which are similar to experiences we have already seen (and that we like).

iTunes

By rating each song you listen to, within iTunes (or on your iPod), you "filter" your music, so iTunes can create smart playlists, such as "Top Rated," or "Top 25 Most Listened."

This is extremely useful for organizing your music, in terms of what you want to hear more of (or least of).

Netflix

By rating all movies you have ever seen (even if you did not see them through Netflix), you allow Netflix to generate "recommendations," based on your top ratings. The advantage to this is obvious. Instead of constantly searching of movies for your queue, movies will be presented to you, based on your likes and dis–likes.

flickr

By rating photos at flickr, you help generate collections of "top rated" photos, and more.

Categories: Ponderings , Services

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matthom is published and produced by Matt Thommes - an independent publishing enthusiast, mobile blogger, content creator, informative writer, web developer from Chicago. Never one to conform, Matt intends to promote the effect the web has on our lives, in an effort to intensify, instruct, and clarify all that is happening around us.