pandora

To see how another way the description of content coupled with a easy-
to-use interface can be implemented on the Web, give a go at a music
site called Pandora*:

   http://www.pandora.com/

Apparently a number of a years ago a few music buffs got together and
started describing recorded music this way, that way, and every which
way but loose using about 400 distinct characteristics (blues,
guitar, acoustic, solo, rhythmically challenging, etc.). They didn't
do it all by hand. They had some help from computing techniques.

They then created an Flash interface to the collection. It lets you
enter a song or artist you like. It finds the songs and addresses the
issue, "Find me more like this one" to create "radio stations". It is
amazingly accurate. Users can then give thumbs up or down votes for
the music it recommends. You can write reviews, blogs, and see what
your friends have played.

Naturally I looked at the thing through my Librarian Glasses. We
describe things this way, that way, and the other way too. We have
many more than 400 distinct characteristics. What we haven't done is:

   1) exploited computing techniques to "catalog" bunches o' stuff
   2) integrated social networking functionality into our system
   3) presented our tools complete with "bling"

Increasingly these sorts of features make for useful and widely used
systems. I believe we have something to learn here.

* Thanks to Ralph LeVan who invited me to use Pandora via Facebook.

--
Eric Lease Morgan
University Libraries of Notre Dame