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by InitialLastName 1678 days ago
> There is a reason why IMDB is a thing. If they remove ratings, it becomes useless. Ratings are the foundational aspect of IMDB.

Are the ratings why people go to IMDB? I use IMDB as a database on the internet for movies and TV cast/crew credits. I almost never look at the ratings for the things I look up.
1 comments
thriftwy 1678 days ago
IMDB ratings are solid and often the main reason why people go to IMDB at all.

8: a masterpiece

7: enjoyable

6: watchable if you like that specific thing

5 and lower: oddball

There are some exceptions for niche movies (may have very low or very high rating) and for recently aired, otherwise it's pretty reliable.

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nefitty 1678 days ago
I always thought crowd sourced ratings was one of the killer apps of the internet. That's what makes Airbnb possible, what made darknet markets successful, what makes Amazon powerful...

Throwing away ratings is like going into the woods to live and throwing away your book on native plant life. I guess just nibble at whatever looks good, even if it might be void of nutritional value or poisonous at worst.

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systemvoltage 1677 days ago
It’s amazing that this needs to be spelled out for the HN community. I thought how can you ever oppose this - I am trying hard to listen to the counter arguments but it’s just not holding up. Something sinister is going on and we are secretly wishing for an authoritarian world - my cynical guess.
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