Lists: Following lists

  • 48
  • Idea
  • Updated 2 years ago
  • (Edited)
I would like to have an option to follow/observe/add to fave other users lists. For the moment there's only RSS feed, but it's not very user friendly way to do it ;)
Photo of tylda

tylda

  • 1 Post
  • 0 Reply Likes

Posted 6 years ago

  • 48
Photo of Bill Goode

Bill Goode

  • 71 Posts
  • 51 Reply Likes
I like the idea of others following, observing, favoring and commenting on my lists. But I don't want anyone adding to my own lists, except their own comments. I would have no problem with someone copying my list, making it their own, and THEN adding to it as their own list. But there is no reason anyone should add anything to my list, but me. Otherwise it's not my list. It becomes everyone's list and that's not my purpose.

I do welcome comments on my lists. They help expand my knowledge of the area.
Photo of Lori Vasconcellos

Lori Vasconcellos

  • 1 Post
  • 1 Reply Like
I think she ment "add to favorites" not just "add", but I agree 100% with what you said. Unless it is a colaborative list you can create with friends. That would also be a nice feature.
Photo of Emperor

Emperor, Champion

  • 6418 Posts
  • 3002 Reply Likes
Yep, this is definitely something I'd be interested in.

What I was thinking of was a broader feature - the ability to make lists of lists, with a default one for your favourite lists. You could then make, for example, make an "upcoming horror films" list and then get updates on them all.
Photo of Emperor

Emperor, Champion

  • 6418 Posts
  • 3002 Reply Likes
I made a list of lists suggestion here:
https://getsatisfaction.com/imdb/topi...
Photo of Bill Goode

Bill Goode

  • 71 Posts
  • 51 Reply Likes
I don't agree with the idea of making lists of lists. That could lead to endless threads of lists, such as the comments on films. You would have lists of lists of lists of lists of lists, etc.https://getsatisfaction.com/imdb/topi...#

Instead IMDb could create additional categories for the lists. IMDb has separated categories between films and actors, at least at creation of lists. It should be a simple matter for IMDb to keep lists of films separate from lists of actors. Further the user (list creator) might be given the option to have his list categorized in a group of lists, eg Films - Musicals, Films - Sci Fi, Films - Comedy, etc or Actors - Male, Actors - Female (or other actor categories that might be thought of).https://getsatisfaction.com/imdb/topi...#
Photo of Emperor

Emperor, Champion

  • 6418 Posts
  • 3002 Reply Likes
I don't agree with the idea of making lists of lists. That could lead to endless threads of lists, such as the comments on films. You would have lists of lists of lists of lists of lists,


Not necessarily as lists and lists of lists would need to be separate beasts (in the same way they have lists of titles or people), so you couldn't get a list of a list of lists unless the folks working on the back end went out of their way to allow such a thing to happen. I doubt they would as there would be little point and it would be open for abuse, as you suggest.

Further the user (list creator) might be given the option to have his list categorized in a group of lists, eg Films - Musicals, Films - Sci Fi, Films - Comedy, etc or Actors - Male, Actors - Female (or other actor categories that might be thought of).


Yes I think this needs attention as some of the categories are weirdly specific in some areas (often with few lists in them) but not others:
http://www.imdb.com/lists/tag

So they'd either need to expand the tags, or trim them down to genres and stick the others into a keyword style system for lists.

We also need the ability to add or edit tags after a list has been started as I know I sometimes forgot. However, that might be a topic for another suggestion (or a new thread for general list suggestions, depending on what the admins here want to do).
Photo of Bill Goode

Bill Goode

  • 71 Posts
  • 51 Reply Likes
IMDb has been pretty good about allowing changes in settings. So I think they would put the option of changing genres in list settings. They need a "General" category for lists where the list originator can't initially think what category to put his list into.
Photo of Dustin

Dustin

  • 26 Posts
  • 14 Reply Likes
The ability to follow and favorite lists could be useful. It would be a nice addition.

I don't understand the benefits of making lists more specific, say with with genres. Can someone explain it?

When you view a list, you can sort by genre in the refine search thing to the side. Between this and tagging, I don't see the purpose of taking another step in defining lists.

It seems like more work that would make things more cumbersome.

You can put anything into a list now as long as all the items are "characters," "people," etc. But if you make a "Western List" you would only be able to add westerns?

I could see adding to other people's lists being nice to, but only if the list creator would be able to allow outside additions. Otherwise I agree, that it makes your lists not your lists.
Photo of Emperor

Emperor, Champion

  • 6418 Posts
  • 3002 Reply Likes
I don't understand the benefits of making lists more specific, say with with genres. Can someone explain it?


You don't make lists more specific, but some lists fall within certain genres - a list of vampire films falls under the horror genre. So a list of the best vampire lists, would also fall under horror. It isn't restrictive but helps people find your list easier.
Photo of Dustin

Dustin

  • 26 Posts
  • 14 Reply Likes
When I make that vampire list, I would Create a New List> Choose Titles to add movies> then select "Horror" to classify as Horror List. The horror list is a more specific list.

My thought is it is better to create your vampire list as a normal titles list, then when you add a horror movie to the list, it becomes a searchable horror list.
Photo of Emperor

Emperor, Champion

  • 6418 Posts
  • 3002 Reply Likes
How would that work with films that are different genres: I have a space horror list, so all the films are in the genres: science fiction and horror?

Now I'd like to be able to add to more than one genre, but if that is automatically generated it could get messy - as you'd end up with long lists getting included in nearly all genres.

It'd be easier to allow people to add them manually.
Photo of Dustin

Dustin

  • 26 Posts
  • 14 Reply Likes
You have a space horror list. You add Alien. Alien should already be classified as a horror movie and a sci fi movie. Your list shows up in both categories.

Otherwise, as I am understanding it, when you create the space horror list, you have to choose if it is a horror list or a sci fi list.
Photo of Emperor

Emperor, Champion

  • 6418 Posts
  • 3002 Reply Likes
But then if I have a large horror focused list, it may include films that are also listed as sci-fi, thriller, mystery, drama, western and fantasy but it wouldn't make any sense to be included in any of those because one or two films, from thousands, are in that genre.
Photo of Dustin

Dustin

  • 26 Posts
  • 14 Reply Likes
But it does make sense because the list does contain movies of that genre. Again, one could make a horror list and then add 0 horror movies to it the other way.
Photo of Bill Goode

Bill Goode

  • 71 Posts
  • 51 Reply Likes
All this relies on the intention of the list creator. It is his list and the purpose of the list is to fulfill the needs of the creator.

But if one creates Horror list and puts nothing but comedies in it, that would lessen his credibility in the eyes of those searching for Horror lists.

It seems one would be wasting one's time doing such nonsense. But I am a firm believer that the list is created to serve the purpose of the creator, else why would he create it in the first place. Other people may well have difficulty perceiving the purpose of a list, but that's their problem and the purpose & content of the list is the problem of the creator.
Photo of Emperor

Emperor, Champion

  • 6418 Posts
  • 3002 Reply Likes
But it does make sense because the list does contain movies of that genre.


But if my list of British horror films since 2012 (which includes most genres, but is clearly a list of horror films):

http://www.imdb.com/list/xbY59mdFHUs/

Got flagged as a Game Show list, despite having only one film from that genre in it, the list would just be a waste of anyone's time. You'd end up with a lot of lists appearing in a whole range of genre film lists and the signal to noise would make browsing a breakdown of lists by genre a waste of time.

It might work if this was triggered when say... a half or a third of films on a list were in a genre - you could have a process that runs a check on the lists (the way I believe the porn filter works) and would auto-include a list into a genre if there were enough films of that genre in it, as long as there is also a way to manually remove them and add others. I can guarantee that if there wasn't a way to do this, you'd end up with posts on her complaining about it within days ;)

Again, one could make a horror list and then add 0 horror movies to it the other way.


You could, but you have to go out of your way to add a list to a genre (my main problem is forgetting to do it when I start a film), so it is more than likely you do this because you are adding horror films to it. I've yet to see a list in the wrong section, so it is presumably not a big problem (and the occasional ones will be because of a lack of ability to edit genres after you've started a list).
Photo of Bill Goode

Bill Goode

  • 71 Posts
  • 51 Reply Likes
Who would flag your Horror list as a Game Show list? As creator of the list, you should be the only one allowed to tag it at all.

To me going by IMDb's genre designation is not reliable. For example, IMDb has a clear misunderstanding of what a musical is. What many might consider to be a Thriller, others might well consider to be a Horror film, but one of those genres might easily be left out of the film's genre IMDb designation. Much easier to just leave it to the list creator and his purpose.

But this does necessitate a search box, not just a search by IMDb designated genres. A list creator might put "Western" and "Comedy" in his list title. Inclusion of Cat Ballou would come up under both. But if one was searching only for comedy, Cat Ballou might not come up if the list was designated as a Western list.

In any case, I would not care to rely on IMDb's genre designation. I would that the list creator chose his own to the degree that he wishes his list to be found. If he makes his own title too unrecognizable, then it just won't be found in a search, and that would be his fault. But he could change the title of his list at any time to suit further searches.
Photo of Emperor

Emperor, Champion

  • 6418 Posts
  • 3002 Reply Likes
Who would flag your Horror list as a Game Show list?


Dustin was suggesting automatically including lists in genres based on the genres of the films in the list.
Photo of Bill Goode

Bill Goode

  • 71 Posts
  • 51 Reply Likes
The difficulty with that is that I don't trust IMDb's categorization of films into any particular genre. What some might call a Thriller, others might call a Horror film. IMDb clearly has a misunderstanding of Musicals. Would "Modern Westerns" be a separate genre from "Westerns" or would they be included in "Thrillers"?. If the genre selection is left to the list creator, all that is sorted out by the list creator.

I would not want IMDb to assign a genre to my list. My idea of Westerns may be totally different than IMDb's or anyone else's. Personally I would not include Modern Westerns taking place since 1950 among other Westerns taking place prior to 1910. However, IMDb and others might. I would not want any automatic inclusion of my lists into any particular genre. I would that I be able to do that myself.

When others search for my list, they will find it (or not find it) based on the genre that I assign to it. I might even like to create a new genre designation that IMDb doesn't have on its genre list. And if others find my list in their search, great. If they don't, I may well decide to change the search terms. I'm really not into the automaticity of IMDb assigning a genre.
Photo of Dustin

Dustin

  • 26 Posts
  • 14 Reply Likes
IMDb already assigns genres to titles. If you think a genre should be added to a title, you should be able to add it.

Genres are actually based upon story characteristics. If you a western exists that you don't think is a western, it doesn't mean it is not a western. It means you do not classify it as a western.

So you want to make a list and say this is a western list. By making a western list and adding any title you want, you are effectively tagging that list as a western. So I suggest you make a plain old normal list and then tag it with "western." Does this not accomplish the same thing?
Photo of Bill Goode

Bill Goode

  • 71 Posts
  • 51 Reply Likes
I don't care about adding a genre to a title on any film's title page. However, in creating a list, I simply would not want to be limited to IMDb's idea of what films might be included in whatever genre I might select.

Another issue comes up - What if I want to create a new genre that is not on IMDb's genre list, such as Modern Westerns or Satire Comedy? I might well like to create a list without selecting any of IMDb's genres, but might designate my own genre in the list title. In such a case I might well want to exclude the list from any of IMDb's genres. I believe I can still do this. But the difficulty comes in searching. If one were looking for lists of Modern Westerns or Satire Comedy, then a search box would suffice.
Photo of Dustin

Dustin

  • 26 Posts
  • 14 Reply Likes
The ideas I suggest would not limit what titles you could add based on imdb's predefined genres. You could tag your list with any genre you wish and therefore show up when that/ those genre(s) are selected in a hypothetical search engine.

The original suggestion was that "IMDb could create additional categories for the lists." It is not practical for imdb to provide categories like "satire comedy" either from the get-go or upon user suggestion.

However, with an improved tag system you could tag a list with "satire" and "comedy." The list would then show up when a user used a search engine and selected "comedy" from a more defined search and/or if the user used the word "satire" or "comedy."
Photo of Bill Goode

Bill Goode

  • 71 Posts
  • 51 Reply Likes
Making lists specific to genres would allow someone searching for a list of a particular genre to find lists limited to that genre. For example if one wanted to search for lists of Westerns, then lists of Science Fiction would be excluded from the search.

If you are already viewing a list, then you are not searching for a list, though you might be searching within that list.

My whole issue concerns searching for lists, not items within a list. Suppose there are a million lists on IMDb. How would one find a list of Horror films or a list of Comedies? If the list creator designates a particular genre for his list, then when other people searching for that genre will find his list, along with others in that genre. Thereby lists of Musicals will not include lists of War films.

It would be up to the individual creating the list as to what genre he would call it and what films he would include. For example, the film "Calamity Jane" is a musical in a western setting. So some people might call it a Western, while others might call it a Musical. It would be up to the list creator to include it or not include it in his list.

Yes, it would be a nice option for a list creator to allow or disallow others to add to the list. I can see that would be a good option that some people might like and IMDb might well allow that option to the list creator.
Photo of Jordan

Jordan, Official Rep

  • 58 Posts
  • 37 Reply Likes
You can already view and create genre lists by using the list widget on the bottom right hand corner of genre pages. Start at this link to choose your genre: http://www.imdb.com/genre

We don't yet have the ability to add a genre tag to an existing list, but this is a good way to browse genre lists or add your own.

Thanks,
Jordan
Photo of Bill Goode

Bill Goode

  • 71 Posts
  • 51 Reply Likes
I can see that some creators of lists might like having others add to their lists. However, I would not. So that would be a good option that IMDb might allow to list creators, that the list creator designate whether others may or may not add to his list.

Certainly to follow, observe and fave lists would be a great addition to the list community.

But personally, I don't want others adding to my lists. But that might well be an option that IMDb might offer to list creators, to allow others to add to a list. Personally, I would deny additions to my lists, except by myself.
Photo of Dustin

Dustin

  • 26 Posts
  • 14 Reply Likes
Okay, thanks for the explanation.

I think a better search function would work better.

If I can create a genre list and then add titles that aren't that genre, it seems to be more practical to have a search engine where I can select genre(s).

Example, I make a list of horror films and then fill it up with non-horror movies. This list would show up if I listed it as a Horror List. However, if there were a list search engine where you could tick genres, your results would only show lists that contained at least one movie of that genre.

As noted, the most beneficial changes would be an ability to edit tags and a list search engine.
Photo of Bill Goode

Bill Goode

  • 71 Posts
  • 51 Reply Likes
Jordan, This is nice to have this feature. I found that people can search for a genre. However, it would be nice to have a search box for lists, where someone could type in search terms, such as "Westerns with Indians" or "Musicals 1940s" to narrow the number of lists one gets. I can see the day when hundreds of Westerns are listed and one has to look through the entire list of Western lists to find a list that one might be looking for. But this is a step in the right direction.
Photo of coupleofthingswrong

coupleofthingswrong

  • 1 Post
  • 2 Reply Likes
This is an essential idea, at the moment I have a bookmark folder dedicated to lists that I want to watch more films from. Adding them to a favourites list or being able to "favourite" them and view later on my IMDb account would definitely be preferable.
Photo of Satya B Sarmah

Satya B Sarmah

  • 3 Posts
  • 7 Reply Likes
it would be nice if i cud add lists I like to my favourites.then it wud be easier for me to watch movies from such lists later.further it wud be great if i get notifications whenever the list is edited
Photo of Olivyah

Olivyah

  • 1 Post
  • 1 Reply Like
Yes to Follow option for public lists!!! How is this not already a feature?! I also am currently using a dedicated bookmark folder just for this, I guess I could try pinterest....
Photo of Anders Poulsen

Anders Poulsen

  • 10 Posts
  • 6 Reply Likes
Any news on this?
https://c.getsatisfaction.com/imdb/topics/following_lists-jdlk0?topic-reply-list%5Bsettings%5D%5Bfilter_by%5D=all&topic-reply-list%5Bsettings%5D%5Breply_id%5D=19027370
c.getsatisfaction.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2019-26
203733
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:GX6URGEXV7Z7DUZXFZKEQEQ72GFX4Y3R
<urn:uuid:18e143c5-804a-4b1a-9799-c1b011b2a004>
2019-06-18T19:19:39Z
54.214.41.27
text/html
sha1:WPIH4VQE6DJZAS75LZSEE4YZS6KBGTZW
<urn:uuid:fbcf6efe-9c2a-4e53-90fe-4b339c240b38>
https://c.getsatisfaction.com/imdb/topics/following_lists-jdlk0?topic-reply-list%5Bsettings%5D%5Bfilter_by%5D=all&topic-reply-list%5Bsettings%5D%5Breply_id%5D=19027370
response
<urn:uuid:d2b1577d-0e7e-4499-a18f-7974a8b5a699>
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2019-26
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for June 2019
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-158-222-202.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.15 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.1-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: http://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/