Not Just Star Ratings
there are about 100 ways that Foursquare quietly innovates, many of them backstage, unannounced. This is one of them. And when you see them, you realize why the alternatives were stupid all along.
Foursquare:
Instead of other sites where every place gets 3.5 stars, we come up with our scores using the same Foursquare magic that powers Explore. We look at signals like tips, likes, dislikes, popularity, loyalty, local expertise, and nearly 3 billion check-ins from over 25 million people worldwide. And, with every check-in and Explore search, our scores will get smarter and better.
A-fucking-men. 1 to 5 stars is and always has been pure shit. 1 star (bad) and 5 stars (great) makes sense. Maybe even 3 stars (okay). But what the hell are 2 and 4 stars? It’s different for everyone. And the majority of people doing the rating are usually only going to do so if they hate or love something. It’s such a better idea to use other, implicit signals.
Boom! (and thx!
