LibraryThing has developed an interesting alternative to the recommender system called the Unsuggester. Common recommender systems show you examples of what everyone else is doing or buying. On LibraryThing it works by comparing your book with books others are reading/buying. This results most often in recommendations to books you already have or do not want in your library. OK so sometimes it recommends a book I have never heard of that I want. But most often it recommends the crap I do not want â?? which is the reason why it is not in my library in the first place. This is the flaw of recommender systems.
So now LibraryThing has changed this. Instead of recommending what most other people (except you) already have they bring out a list of the books the least amount of people have in their library.
Therefore if you choose John Rawls â??Theory of Justiceâ?? the old recommender system will notify you of books such as
Anarchy, state, and utopia by Robert Nozick
Political liberalism by John Rawls
Spheres of justice: a defense of pluralism and equality by Michael Walzer
Critique of pure reason by Immanuel Kant
A treatise of human nature by David Hume
Now if â??Theory of Justiceâ?? is an important book for you then most probably you would have a reason for not including these other books in your library â?? so the recommendations fail…
The new system recommends
Confessions of a shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
The other Boleyn girl: a novel by Philippa Gregory
A million little pieces by James Frey
My sister’s keeper: a novel by Jodi Picoult
Good in bed: a novel by Jennifer Weiner
This at least is a list of recommendations that I have not heard of â?? still useless but definitely more fun!