We found out about Hunch.com from this article in the LA Times, and we're intrigued.
If you've ever done any shopping on Amazon.com, you probably know that they offer suggestions with just about every product they sell. If you look at a baseball bat, they'll show you related items that other baseball bat browsers have looked at, that you might be interested in: items like gloves, baseballs, and maybe even trading cards.
That's a different kind of social application than websites like Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter. You're not communicating directly with the other people who are shopping for the same things you are, but those suggestions are coming from other users.
Hunch works in a similar way. It'll ask you questions, then compare your answers to the answers of other users... users like you. So when you ask it a question, like "What kind of dog should I buy?" - Hunch will tell you what kind of dog users like you prefer.
I've always liked the idea of suggesting related items. That's what the guy at the video store does: The better he gets to know the preferences of his customers, the more accurately he can suggest movies I'll like. Especially if he knows someone who has a very similar taste in movies to mine.
Hunch is like the video store guy with the perfect suggestion - but Hunch knows far more people, and knows much more about them than just what movies they like.
Comments