Navigation and collaborative Filtering

Last modified 12/17/1998

RATING
<- low high ->

These navigation images also serve as content ratings. If you liked this page, click on the right side of the navigation image. If you didn't like the page, click on the left side of an image.

What if the computer could help you to navigate the world of information? Collaborative filtering is a process of collecting 'reviews' of an item from a universe of readers, and then applying those ratings to help you to find other things that you want.

The idea is for the computer to find things that you like, and then locate other people who like the same things that you do.

And on and on. One of the problems with the technology is that getting users to rate things is difficult. So here is an idea to simplify offering ratings.

Put your mouse over the navigation bars on the left, notice how the URL on the status line changes, specifically the ?rating= number changes. Clicking on the left side of a navigation bar would take you to that item, plus register your rating of the current page as being low. Clicking on the right side would register a high rating.

So what do you think? You can enter your comments about this idea here (or read the comments of others).