The Netflix Ratings and Recommendations Service
Hacking Netflix is discussing the ratings system. I’ve rated 275 movies, just a handful behind the author’s 279. The comments on the post vary in opinion from “The Netflix ratings system IS their competitive advantage,” to “I find the recommendations ok but not particularly valuable.” I lean towards the latter.
If I were having trouble finding stuff to watch, I would certainly try some stuff from the recommendations. As it is, my queue runneth over, and friends recommend movies to me faster than I can watch them (though that may be due to the fact that I’ve watched six seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in as many months).