Stuart Skorman, one of the pioneers of the recommendation technology known as collaborative filtering used by popular brands such as Netflix and Amazon, is out to prove that computerized movie advice needs a human touch. Skorman believes that film discovery requires a mix of man and machine similar to complementary destinations such as Wikipedia for information or Pandora for music. Consumers lack a place where they can interact with great clerks to discover film, TV, and video selections that match their tastes and moods.
Revenge of the Clerks
ClerkDogs is poised to create the first discovery service for film fans based on the painstaking analysis of films by former video store clerks. ClerkDogs is not based on user-generated reviews. It's all about making the ultimate experience to simply find a great film without requiring consumers to rate hundreds of movies or provide any feedback, meaning all results are based on video clerk analysis and the interface is interactive.
ClerkDog's Mash It tool consists of 35 mood-defining attributes that can be adjusted, resulting in a list of movie matches that bring consumers closer to movies they will love. For example, if you like Pulp Fiction because of its dark humor and characters, you can find other movies based on those specific ingredients. Current discovery technology forces consumers to fill out generic ratings without allowing them to interact or participate.
The Conversation with a Video Clerk; Reborn as a Web 2.0 Sequel
The movie mapping analysis and genome project that powers ClerkDogs was started when Skorman opened his first brick and mortar video store in 1985 and moved to the Web in 1995 when he founded Reel.com. Reel.com was the first online video store to integrate collaborative filtering into e-commerce, which Skorman sold three years later for $100 million to Hollywood Entertainment. In 2006, Skorman reunited the five original writers from Reel.com to invent ClerkDogs.
"It's our mission to deliver the first real film discovery experience that's as fun as the movie you end up watching," says Skorman who is a former video store clerk himself. "ClerkDogs interacts with film seekers in a Web 2.0 way that feels like you are talking to a knowledgeable video store professional."
Challenging the Netflix Challenge
Thousands of the smartest techies on the planet have tried to significantly improve the collaborative filtering recommendation system at Netflix and they have all failed. Skorman believes technology has obviously taken this movie prediction business about as far as it can go. It's time to bring real human intelligence and intuition back into the movie shopping experience. ClerkDogs uses technology to enhance and communicate human intelligence and intuition, not to replace it. Their innovative algorithms are important, but here the stars of the show are their former video store clerks.
The company has launched today in beta and recommendations are available at www.clerkdogs.com with films specifically in the crime and suspense genres. Other genres will be added in the near future.
About ClerkDogs
ClerkDogs is the first-ever human-driven film discovery service that connects you to the films you want to see based on your mood and built upon the knowledge of seasoned video store clerks.
ClerkDogs's offices are located in San Francisco's Mission District.
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2 comments:
Thanks for writing about ClerkDogs! I'm the product manager for the site and we really appreciate you checking us out and writing about us!
Just passing on the info I received, as it sounded like something that would interest my readers. I wish you success with your site.
Keep on rockin'
Mickie
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