What do Toddlers & Tiaras, African American Lives, The Catherine Tate Show, High School Musical, National Geographic Beyond the Movie: Alexander the Great, Basketball Wives, River Monsters, iCarly, Nature Boy Rick Flair And Aeon Flux all have in common? Me, apparently.
Netflix seems to think I'd like these shows. I beg to differ.
I was thumbing through these recommendations the other night when it stuck me there wasn't a thing in the queue I wanted to watch. What is it my viewing habits are trying to say about me? That my tastes are eclectic? Or am I simply confused?
At least Jeffrey Zaslow knows his TiVo thinks he's gay. His 2002 Wall Street Journal article was spoofed on episodes of King of Queens (CBS) and The Mind of a Married Man (HBO).
Okay, I admit to watching several National Geographic military specials for research and there was that month long marathon with a different season of The Tudors each weekend. So maybe I can see where Alexander the Great comes in. But I've also held Lost and Vampire Diaries marathons. How does that translate to River Monsters and Aeon Flux?
And I swear to you I don't watch reality TV.
Except for the music and talent shows. Okay, Sister Wives. Do you think that explains Toddlers & Tiaras, African America Lives, Basketball Wives, Nature Boy Ric Flair and High School Musical?
Who's Catherine Tate and why would I like her? For that matter what would iRogenna get out of watching iCarly?
These personalization technologies think they have us all figured out with browsing algorithms. Then how do you explain my iTunes crush on Katy Perry?
Today I'm giving away a $10 gift card to one lucky commenter for the site that has me all figured out Amazon.com. Have you ever received a wacky technology based recommendation?
42 comments:
LOL, I had to laugh at that! Yes technology thinks they have me all figured out too! Amazon for one always recommends vampire books? WHY, I've never ordered a vampire book in my life. I've ordered horitcultural and biblical archaeological books for my husband including obscure texts like the book of jubilees and I've ordered books on pain and health for my mother in law, I've ordered historical romance books for myself and car/truck repair books for my son, but somehow they've got me pegged for vampire books.
I have not received one. I would be seriously surprised to note my taste in things as decided elsewhere.
We have a game in our family... Made You Look. And that's what you did - made me look at today's email from amazon, something I've never done before. They think I might like, among other similar choices,:
Book: "The Wild Beasts of Wuhan"
DVD: "Godzilla (The Criterion Collection)"
Five points cause you made me look and made me laugh.
I'm guessing a lot of us get suggestions from Amazon who doesn't have me figured out either. About the only books I order from there are romantic intrigue and like Snookie I get suggestions for vampire books and other paranormal which I admit to having read in the past but never ordered from Amazon.
Hi Rogenna--I had to look, too. My Netflix recommendations are actually pretty dead on. I'm certain that's because once, when I was bored, I spent at least half an hour rating the shows they popped up. I think this helps them refine my tastes, lol. Amazon on the other hand--they have just recommended several books on "search anaylsis". Why? What have I done to deserve that?
I share a NetFlix account with my husband and two sons. You don't want to know what's in the recommendations list.
Or maybe you do...we should compare personalization algorithms to see where we intersect. For all I know you also want to watch a Scooby-Doo and South Park marathon, followed by Duck Soup, and finishing the night with Downton Abbey.
(And yes, if you need a pick-up line, do feel free to steal my "compare personalization algorithms" one above. It's a sure thing.)
P.S. Ro--I agree with Netflix about High School Musical. You might like it. ;-)
I get recs for subgenres I don't read all the time...
Hi iRogenna! You really had me laughing. Amazon has me pegged on books...just got an email this morning about a Superromance author release :). However, it'll also pick up on those one-time buy items (like for a birthday gift for someone with totally different interests) and bombard me with 'like' suggestions. Or there was the time it must have thought I had a really bad shoelace fettish.
I started buying hard-to-find stuff from Amazon in the late 90's, around the time they first introduced their ratings. At first, they didn't allow you to rate items that you hadn't bought or to exclude purchases from the list they used for recommendations. So buying a gift for someone always skewed my recommendations.
Now I just wish they would put expiration dates on their recommendations. I still see the occasional book on baby care or breastfeeding pop up on my list, though my youngest (and last) is almost 5.
When I get bored I've been known to play around with rating books and adding things to my wish lists (its like window shopping only lazier...). I found recently that there are books on my wish list that I added in 2000 and 2001, that I still haven't read (oops). Maybe if my name gets drawn, I'll pick up one of those.
I have gotten recommendation from Amazon for paranormal books which I very seldom read, its just not my thing and have never ordered one from Amazon. Hey but they got us all figuired out don't they.
LOL! I'm always amazed and what I might like according to them. My 20 y o also chooses shows on Netflix, which makes me seem awfully eccentric--which I have decided means terribly interesting.
Based on their choices for you, you are a very interesting person with a deeply complex personality.
Excuse me now. Apparently, I'm off to watch "I'm a Cyborg But That's OK" followed by Betty Grable in "The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend." Interesting.
Funny. I like it when AMazon recommends all these war games for me. My son happened to browse my account once. I am sure he is hoping I will take the hint.
Snookie, sound like you got my recommendations!
Oh, wait could it be when you won that first Super Kindle shipped from my account.
Hmm :)
Marybelle, you've never had a website try to tell you they know you better than you know yourself?
What about amazon?
LOL-Linda S. Glad I made you look!
Curious about your reading habits with "The Wild Beasts of Wuhan."
What a great blog! I had a really good chuckle going through NetFlix's list of recommendations.
Thanks, iRogenna!
A funny and oh-so-true post, Rogenna! Didn't Netflix run a contest a few years back, looking for the the best customer recommendation algorithm, and the prize was a million dollars? I wonder if that million-dollar algorithm is the one that's in effect now. :-) We get some weird recommendations, also--but we do watch some weird things. All in the name of research, of course!
Ellen Too, I have no idea how you're getting my vampire picks. I thought I had it all figured out with snookie.
Now, I'm not so sure :)
Jeannie,for me it's just the opposite, I've spent time on amazon refining my picks.
I'm thinking we both have better uses for our time
Thanks, Ellen for reminding me I've been meaning to watch Downtown Abby.
Maybe we should all just make recommendations to each other
I'm inclined to believe those algorithms have their own preferences, jcp .
I've heard about you and your shoelace fetish, Rula.
I think Nature Boy Ric Flair has more to do with my son's facination with WWE.
I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I've been to a "live" WWE show at the Budwiser Events Center. Yup.
As a birthday present to my son we were going to see John Cena, but the NBA playoffs took presidence and booted the WWE out of the Pepsi Center.
And Cena didn't headline the rescheduled show. But ya know, Batista not half bad to look at (for a bad guy ;)
LOL--Kristi, your cyber tbr (too be read--like we all don't know that--haha) pile sounds like my real one.
Some of Amazon's suggestions aren't my taste at all.
My son-in-law likes older movies, like 80's, so after we watched a couple of them all of a sudden we had a whole batch of movies on there from that era. I'm surprised we haven't gotten some National Geographic stuff on their too because we watched some animal stuff my grandson wanted to watch one day. It's funny what they think we will like.
LOL, Ro, you made me look, too. At my Amazon recs since I don't have Netflix. What do you know? Amazon thinks I want to read a bunch of Superromances. And I do! Technology does work!
I know Catherine Tate. She's a famous comedienne from England. I've seen her on BBC America.
Yes, Virginia they sure do. Makes me wonder if amazon is pushing paranormal books since several have mentioned it.
Mary, is that Betty Grable title for real? Sounds like a romance novel.
Only it would be The Bride from Bashful Bend, or maybe The Cowboy from Bashful Bend, what you think?
Don't you all go stealin' my titles now.
runner; I bet your son's not the only one hoping you'll accidently order one :)
Fun posts!
Perhaps A. is pushing paranormal....I get those, too, but have never ordered that type book! They just don't really know us!! Lol
They're spying on us! :) I usually don't notice recommendations--I consider it my duty to tune out advertising, whether while watching TV or surfing the Net. But let me go check...
Upstairs/Downstairs, Doctor Zhivago, Pride and Prejudice. Scarily enough, they're right!
Hi Mary (Sullivan), Any list with both tiara's and wrestlers in tights is worth a good chuckle.
Must have been some contest, Kathy.
I can just picture the boys of Big Bang, sitting around their living room with awhite board propped up on a chair, trying to develop one of these personalization algorithms.
Chey, one of the features I do like is the one that tells you people who ordered that, also ordered this. That always makes me take a second look.
Linda, wouldn't it be nice if they had different queues for different family members.
There you go NetFlix, a million dollar suggestion for FREE!
Joan, you are too funny.
Jane, thank you for enlightening me. If she's any good maybe I'll have to check her out.
Jackie, we should all go to amazon and click on the Supers. Then they'd know us .
You know, Cathryn, I believe they are spying on us :? Kind of spooky if you ask me.
Rogenna,
What a nice laugh! I haven't gotten anything too wacky although I do share accounts with my sons. What to recommended for our composite persona who plays xbox games, reads lots of romance novels, wears NFL stuff, etc. Meanwhile, even though I have not bought a stitch of clothing from Ebay it keeps hoping I'll develop a taste for high fashion.
Nicely put, Laura :)
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