Google Is Testing User Ratings For Movies, TV Within Search Results (techcrunch.com)

Google has confirmed to Search Engine Land that it is testing a feature allowing users to rate movies or TV shows directly in the search results interface. "We're currently experimenting with the feature but have nothing to announce at this time," a Google spokesperson said. TechCrunch reports: Unlike other movie and TV rating platforms, Google's feature is not on a scale from one to five but instead offers a binary choice: like or dislike. Information about weather, ticket purchasing options and more used to be available on unique, individual websites. Today, however, Google has incorporated this information and functionality into the search results layer of its own service. Within the movie ratings feature, users will also be able to see the Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb ratings for the title, as they always have. You can view a screenshot of the rating system here.

Comments

And who shall rate those self-same raters?

[shanen]

Seriously, unless the personal reputation of the raters as actual human beings is taken into account, then the system will be worthless. There has to be symmetry between the reliability of the raters for their ratings to have any reliability.

Almost all of these systems get polluted by gamesters and trolls, often using sock puppets. I'm not saying that anonymity needs to be eliminated, but if you do elect to be anonymous, then your opinions should be discounted as not really representing your public position. However in a situation like this, I do think that anonymous raters should be discounted to zero.

However, I've made basically the same argument as regards fixing the Slashdot moderation system. Haven't noticed any progress yet.