Avoid using 3 thumbs down?

[Gospel]

Hi all,

I have read here that it is not recommended to use 3 thumbs, down :down: :down: :down:, when rating shows. The posters have said that this rating confuses the suggetion algorythm because it doesn't know what you are objecting to. Does this also apply to using 3 thrumbs up?

What are the commendations on what number of thumbs up/down when rating shows?

Any info will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Steven

[jsmeeker]

Hi all,

I have read here that it is not recommended to use 3 thumbs, down :down: :down: :down:, when rating shows. The posters have said that this rating confuses the suggetion algorythm because it doesn't know what you are objecting to. Does this also apply to using 3 thrumbs up?

What are the commendations on what number of thumbs up/down when rating shows?

Any info will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Steven

My experience is that three thumbs down or up can really skew the suggestions. If the suggestions are important to you, I'd avoid the temptation of using the max number of thumbs for shows you hate or love. use one or two.

I never really used three down. But I would use three up a lot. And what happened is TiVo wound up finding those shows in syndication and would just record that. Way back, I had ER three tumbs up. I really liked that show. Suggestions that were recorded was probably 85% ER reruns on another cable channel.

[aadam101]

I give everything 3 thumbs up/down. I hardly ever watch suggestions but it still only records things I like. Especially my four year old Series 2. It knows me better than me.

[JimSpence]

I don't use thumbs at all and have automatic recording of suggestions turned of. Therefore, the suggestions list only fills up with suggestions based on what I record (the same as a one thumb up).

[rainwater]

I give everything 3 thumbs up/down. I hardly ever watch suggestions but it still only records things I like. Especially my four year old Series 2. It knows me better than me.

If you only give 3-up and 3-down, then you most likely get a bunch of suggestions that are only programs you have thumbed up. Thats ok I guess if you want to watch those shows on a different channel than your season pass, but its not really interesting because the point of suggestions is to get shows you DON'T watch that you might be interested in. If you use too many thumbs down, then you sort of black list the whole category and will not get any shows similar to the one you thumbed down.

[MMG]

I've used 3 thumbs down on 2 shows: 1) Paid programming and 2) Guthy-Renker ;)

[ZeoTiVo]

if you just (dis)like a show then give it one thumb.

If you (dis)like the genre and want more or less of it then give it two thumbs but be sparing.


think of it this way
I two thumbed up The Original Star trek and now all the varous ones show up in suggestions along with other Sci Fi, If I had gone 3 thumbs then most likely TJ hooker would show up in suggestions as well.

[SystemJinx]

I three thumbs down:

Paid programming
Shop @ home programming
Any channel that doesn't broadcast in english

[ZeoTiVo]

I three thumbs down:

Paid programming
Shop @ home programming
Any channel that doesn't broadcast in english
I do not use paid programming and I just knock those other channels off the list of channels I receive. Never have to worry about them at all.

[ZikZak]

No one knows how the algorithm really works, but multiple thumbs-downs can have undesired consequences, because it will red flag just about everything about the program. Suppose that you love Uma Thurman, but can't stand The View. If you three-thumb-down The View, and Uma Thurman was on it once, you could be excluding all of your yummy Uma Thurman movies too.

ZikZak's Rule of Thumbs:
1-Up = "I like this show. I might watch it if it showed up in Suggestions."
2-Up = "I love this show. Go out of your way to suggest stuff like this."
3-Up = "This show is Farscape. My life is incomplete without this show."

1-Down = "If this show is on, I feel like leaving the room."
2-Down = "If this show is on, I get physically sick."
3-Down = The 700 Club.

[mick66]

with suggestions based on what I record (the same as a one thumb up).

When you record something new, tivo automatically gives it one thumb up. So it's not like a one thumb up, it is a one thumb up.