Exploring how cues showing the presence of other users might elicit more social responses from MovieLens users.

• Conducted a study to determine whether social cues elicited different levels of contribution. The study started with a visual re-design of elements of the MovieLens site to change language and other displays to make more evident the social nature of the site. A subsequent study did not find differences between users given the new and old interfaces (which we find to be an interesting negative result).
• Some of this work is continuing as we look at cumulative and interaction effects when social cues are used with more genuinely social features. 
• Found that textual cues about the presence of other users are not sufficient to change users’ social reaction to a recommender site.
• Provided evidence that social cueing requires more than simple textual cues.