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GR Recommendations function
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I would like to see the 'not interested' designation available on all titles, not just the recommended lists
The recommendations feature is trying to push science fiction on me (with two seperate but nearly identical lists of recommendations), a genre I rarely read.
It's fun to play around with, but I really don't need more books on my to-read shelf, so I don't anticipate using it much.
Like Sarah, I have enough books on the pile waiting to be read, but when I just tried it out some of the suggestions were actually pretty good.
Lobstergirl wrote: "I don't plan to use it much. Recommendation engines just don't work all that well for me, for a variety of reasons. This one in particular is recommending me things based on shelves I created specifically to segregate awful books, books I didn't finish, or books I will never read."Same here--the first set of recommendations was based on my Bookmooch shelf, which is stuff I've given away.
I don't mind looking at recommendation lists. Until now, I hadn't even looked at that new section and there were some books on it that I'll go back and take a second look at.
I think the beta will need a lot of work before it is in any way helpful. I have an entire shelf devoted to Doctor Who novels; that shelf generated, among other things, recommendations for Tin Tin and the Peanuts collection. Weird and not helpful.
Mod
The things I usually put on my to read shelf are more obscure than what they recommend for me. I tend to hear of various old and out of print books, either by reading articles/essays/criticism, or looking through the bibliographies of books I'm reading. This engine is never going to find those books.
Mod
It's actually telling me I should read a book I already have on my read list."
You can send an email to support@goodreads.com about it, if you like.
Mod
I participated in the beta testing of it, and it does have a few quirks - For example I can only read English, but most of my recommendations are for books in other languages. For some reason GR factors in the author's country of origin in the algorithm, plus a lot of the books in database don't have a language specified.That said, it's an ambitious feature they've put together, and pretty impressive, really ,for a first attempt.
I read a lot of books in Dutch and so far haven't had any recommendations for books by Dutch authors. Maybe if I switch my country from Mauritius to the Netherlands.
janine wrote: "I read a lot of books in Dutch and so far haven't had any recommendations for books by Dutch authors. Maybe if I switch my country from Mauritius to the Netherlands."Your own country doesn't seem to factor. If you read a book in English (translated from Dutch), it will start recommending books in Dutch. Not hugely logical, but that's what it's doing!
A computer program is a reflection of the programmers' reasoning. They need to set up a language filter is all. Apparently there aren't enough books in the database where the field has been filled in to create an effective filter just now, but the techs are playing with a workaround.
I was recommended a Calvin and Hobbes anthology. On the very few occasions I've read Calvin and Hobbes not only have I thought, "Well there's 30 seconds of my life I'll never get back," but I also remember thinking, "This shit would go down a storm at a closed-head injury survivors support group."
I actually found myself being recommended books I'd already read but had forgotten about so didn't include on here and one or two I wouldn't mind reading. Not a bad idea for a function imo, just needs a few wrinkles ironed :)
janine wrote: "The recommendations feature is trying to push science fiction on me (with two seperate but nearly identical lists of recommendations), a genre I rarely read."Janine, you can specify which genres you enjoy and uncheck the sci fi box.
I've played with the recommendations function a bit (added a few shelves, picked some favourite genres) and it makes much more sense now.
Good! It is really fun. My to-read shelf will grow by at least 20% or more.
I've added a 'before goodreads' shelf for the recommendations I've already read. I'm rediscovering books I read as a kid and had almost forgotten about.
I feel that this recommendation function, when I use it properly, will make my TBR ridiculously unwieldy. Not that it isn't already a bit much (my TBR outnumbers my read by almost 2-1 at this point, but I guess that's to be expected on Goodreads).
Cynthia wrote: "Good! It is really fun. My to-read shelf will grow by at least 20% or more."I will not currently try it for this very reason, I have a lot of books to already try and get to.
It's a fun function, I think. I'm hoping it'll get a bit more sophisticated with time, and be able to select more and more appropriate books based on a wider range of variables. From what I saw on the beta testing thread, I was really impressed with the way they gave serious consideration to every suggestion that was made. It's rare to find a site that is so responsive to user feedback.Here's the (massive) thread if anyone's interested. They were carefully logging and summarising everyone's ideas as they went.
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/6...
Barb wrote: "Clark wrote: "I was recommended a Calvin and Hobbes anthology. On the very few occasions I've read Calvin and Hobbes not only have I thought, "Well there's 30 seconds of my life I'll never get bac..."
Rain check.
Rain check.
That's sad :( I'm not a big calvin and hobbes fan but that's just a little bit sad.
Bahaha! Love it. I never did like Calvin & Hobbes. An old flatmate of mine named her cat Calvin. I didn't bother explaining she'd named it after the wrong character.
Hello? It's a dull as watching a car rust.
Barb wrote: "How can someone NOT love Calvin & Hobbes. Hello? Snowman series!!!!"Maybe all that poison Clark pumped into his system in his 20's is slowly seeping into his soul?
That seems a little extreme Bun, but I'm wit you about Calvin & Hobbes.
Amber wrote: "Barb wrote: "How can someone NOT love Calvin & Hobbes. Hello? Snowman series!!!!"
Maybe all that poison Clark pumped into his system in his 20's is slowly seeping into his soul?"
My soul was forfeited to Satan at a Black Sabbath concert in 1973.
Calvin and Hobbes is too - I don't know, friggin' wholesome - and about as funny as you'd expect from wholesome. Unless you're all on 'shrooms. Everything's funny on 'shrooms.
Gimme "The Far Side" or "Zippy the Pinhead."
God, that's priceless.
Maybe all that poison Clark pumped into his system in his 20's is slowly seeping into his soul?"
My soul was forfeited to Satan at a Black Sabbath concert in 1973.
Calvin and Hobbes is too - I don't know, friggin' wholesome - and about as funny as you'd expect from wholesome. Unless you're all on 'shrooms. Everything's funny on 'shrooms.
Gimme "The Far Side" or "Zippy the Pinhead."
God, that's priceless.
Clark wrote: "Amber wrote: "Barb wrote: "How can someone NOT love Calvin & Hobbes. Hello? Snowman series!!!!"Maybe all that poison Clark pumped into his system in his 20's is slowly seeping into his soul?"..."
I will grant that "Far Side" is superior. To be perfectly honest, I prefer "The Boondocks" to just about any of them.
Barb wrote: "Oh, Clark. Any strip is going to have some that don't have any amusing qualities outside of the weeks "plot" "
That's my point. I could have chosen any one of them. They're all about as funny as Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up act.
Let's face it - like love songs, comic strips about mischevious little kids reached critical mass years ago. The topic's been pretty well covered.
Somewhere Charles Schulz and Hank Ketchum are spinning in their graves and Bill Keane looks a little peaked too.
That's my point. I could have chosen any one of them. They're all about as funny as Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up act.
Let's face it - like love songs, comic strips about mischevious little kids reached critical mass years ago. The topic's been pretty well covered.
Somewhere Charles Schulz and Hank Ketchum are spinning in their graves and Bill Keane looks a little peaked too.
This has nothing to do with the GR function but it does help you find a book to read.Take a look -- it's fun.
Mod
Barb, the text was very faint--white on grey. By starting over and trying different paths, I got Hyperion, The Eyre Affair and Perdido Street Station. I also found out that they only had one answer per path, like a flow chart.
It is in fact just a different format for a flowchart -made by SFSignal, I believe - that was making the rounds last week. The books in it are the NPR 100 SF & Fantasy mentioned here during the summer.
Yay, I get perceptiveness points for seeing a flowchart when it bops me on the nose!
Sarah Pi wrote: "Doomsday BookRead it. Loved it."
Really, really loved it? I only ask because a friend lent me a copy, and I'm wary of borrowing books, especially when a friend recommends them (that's how I ended up reading Twilight, guilt). I don't want to hate it and then have to explain to someone that loves it why I hate it.
Really, really loved it.I know there are some people who have had issues with a certain tendency in her writing, but I think you will find a lot of fans of it here.
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Terminalcoffee
Books mentioned in this topic
Doomsday Book (other topics)Hyperion (other topics)
The Eyre Affair (other topics)
Perdido Street Station (other topics)
Doomsday Book (other topics)
I don't plan to use it much. Recommendation engines just don't work all that well for me, for a variety of reasons. This one in particular is recommending me things based on shelves I created specifically to segregate awful books, books I didn't finish, or books I will never read.
But GR had to create it. A lot of people were clamoring for it, and they felt like they couldn't be a viable book site without a recommendations tool.