Okay, I admit it. Being of independent spirit, I'm no fan of being told what's good for me. So the old "Try It You'll Like It" school of persuasion has never drawn much water with me.But being of inquiring mind, when Etsy first introduced the feature they're calling Taste Test, I took the challenge. And the test.
And I've taken it a number of times since then.
This morning, with our dank Down East weather precluding outdoor follies, I decided to while away the hours by indulging in a bit of innocent role reversal. In short, I tested the Taste Test.
Etsy promises, "Take the Taste Test to discover what you like. It's fun and easy." Easy? Certainly, if you enjoy browsing to see what you can see. As self appointed Taste Test Tester, however, I found it necessary to set strict parameters and exercise restraint (i.e., not clicking items I happened to like that fell outside my predetermined guidelines). Being of short attention span, I found that a challenge in itself. But, being of persistent nature, I forged ahead.
Loving the color green and vintage finds, I made my way through each of the nine Taste Test steps, seeking green or blue-green vintage items. If none of the six choices matched these requirements, I clicked the "Show different options" button. I should say here that I didn't "cheat" by viewing the items before choosing them, so I had no idea which shops would be represented. But after clicking through 189 sets of choices (yes, I counted them), I finished with these selections, all of which I do like:
Within seconds I was rewarded with, among many others, these results:
What do you think of Etsy's clairvoyance in matching my taste? Astonishing? Predictable? Amazing?
What do I think? Being of circumspect temperament, I'm not saying.
Have you taken the Taste Test? If so, what do you think of your results?
If not, please be aware that once you go there, there's no turning back. Until further notice, or perhaps in perpetuity, whenever you visit the Front Page, Etsy's choice of eight "Items Matching Your Taste" will be the first thing you see.
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©2011 Rough Magic Creations.
©2011 Rough Magic Creations.
enjoyed your post! I'm not such a fan of the Taste Test - my picks change with my mood and I'm finding what they pick for me to be kinda boring...time to take it again and get something different into the mix!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your finds, I have not yet taken the test:)
ReplyDeleteGreat article, Mollie...I am so much like you...short attention span, etc. And I fluctuate all over the map...so I am interested in seeing what this produces.
ReplyDeleteThanks!!
Pam
Nice post, Mollie! I've taken the TT several times//sometimes have been frustrated and sometimes pleased; couldn't help but notice, too, that more than occasionally, TT choices get on the FP..or used to.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Mollie! I love your choices, but am not entirely sure about the rest of what Etsy thinks you might like - they seem a bit too formulaic to me - but then I must admit I'm not a great fan of the Taste Test, so I think my grasshopper mind is too much of a challenge for Etsy's algorithms!!!
ReplyDeleteI've taken the taste test too, but so often the sixteen choices I have made (or is it only twelve?), often limit the results. Say, if I click on one instrument, I'll continually be bombarded with instruments of all kinds thereafter. So that entails another test...
ReplyDeleteBut, needless to say, it is a tool and does introduce shops I might have otherwise never have seen.
You Rock! Taste Test smaste test is what I have found the 2 times I took it: one from each of my Shops just to see if the "algorithm" (or whatever they are using) was different, as in, the results. Well, in my less than formal adventure (not nearly as organized as yours my friend!) I found similar results...and not only did they NOT match the 12 things I had chosen, they looked remotely like FP peeps! hmmmmmmmmmmm.......
ReplyDeleteSo, if what you say is true about taking the Taste Test again and having THAT nightmare be my FP from now on....NO THANKS! I would rather see curated Treasuries from the same people over and over again than what Etsy thinks is "my taste".
Thanks for your "research".....You're the Bestest!
xoxoxo
:)