Stamped
A very interesting quote:
“The problem we’re trying to solve is the noise problem in information. Especially now, when you search online for restaurants, books, movies, or music, the results are overwhelming and chaotic. It’s hard to find what you really want. What do 3-star ratings from more than 70 strangers mean? Are they saying it’s good or bad? Can you trust their opinions? Who are they? If you’ve ever wondered about these things, it means you’ve deeply felt the weaknesses of current review and rating sites.”
Reducing information noise and making information more efficient is something Google has attempted from algorithmic reliance to +1, with Google+ and Facebook’s SNS recommendations—all trying to do this better, including Twitter.
It’s something I’ve also experienced and pondered over the years. First, being drowned by Google Reader’s 1000+ unread items, then the torrent of feeds from Kaixin, Douban friends, and now Sina Weibo. Do we really need so much information every day? Or put another way, will we die if we skip this information?
The flood of information caters to human “greed,” yet we must return to “authenticity,” to life itself. Information should serve people, not enslave or bind them.
How to make information simpler and more effective is worth designers’ consideration.
Also, when Stamped users start, they get 100 “stamps” to make reviews. When their friends notice their recommendations, they can gain more stamps. It’s a clever design for user engagement.