I've implemented the new link scoring algorithm and is currently running the BlogMatcher system.

Does it work? I'm not sure. The results generated are more or less similar, but some results now show up much higher than they did before (and some lower). The new algorithm seems to be effective in "curving" the scores appropriately, and "rare" links are being scored much higher than they would've been in the old system.

The problem now (still) is that some popular links that also have significance are being scored lower than they should be. Also, I'm not entirely convinced that some other blog that happens to have the same "rare" link should score _that_ high. Logically, the combination of having links to Slashdot, Wired, and The Onion seems to be more indicative of common interest than one common link, as "rare" as that link may be.

My conclusion, for now, is that the problem hasn't been cracked yet after all. I'm still going to have to figure out a way to weigh links based not just on popularity/rarity, but also on contextual/topical significance.