The ratings provide the feedback used to improve the filtering algorithms that the company will use to recommend videos and music later this year. Yet the company is not planning to sell CDs or videos. We started with eLOL to prove that taste really matters - and it does. After accumulating a wealth of data Jester 2.0 and eLOL might not only serve as training grounds for collaborative filtering systems but also offer interesting possibilities for personality psychologists and humor researchers. This may not happen soon, however.
Privacy is a major issue.
Goldberg offered to share his data with research groups studying the psychology of jokes. However, Ruch, for one, is not enthusiastic about Jester's results. The sample is small and not representative. The typical eLOL user, as determined in a survey on behalf of NetCustomize, is an Internet-savvy male between the ages of 18 and 35 . The same probably holds true for Jester 2.0 and might explain the predominance of engineering jokes I received.