Item data collection systems and methods with social network integration

A method of conducting a sampling event for items using an event management website computing system, comprising:

• providing a first routine with the event management website computing system, which first routine is adapted to execute on a portable electronic device, said first routine permitting a host to initiate and manage a live item sampling event for a first audiovisual content item at a predetermined time;
• providing a second routine with the event management website computing system, which second routine is adapted to execute on a portable electronic device and to permit one or more participants to join the host in the live item sampling event for said first audiovisual content item by selecting an activatable electronic link;
• wherein said live item sampling event is a virtual event managed by the event management website computing system, in which at least some of said one or more participants are in different locations and are enabled through said second routine to sample and rate said first audiovisual item at the same time as a group of participants;
• collecting and processing item sampling event data with the event management website computing system during said virtual event using a data collection interface implemented within one or more respective portable electronic data collection devices used by said group of participants, including at least a set of individual user ratings for said first audiovisual item;
• and
• providing a selectable option to each of said group participants within said data collection interface, which, when selected, causes publication by the event management website computing system of information pertaining to participation in said live item sampling event, to social network web pages associated with said group of participants, during a time period associated with the live item sampling event;
• and
• automatically generating and electronically displaying recommendations with the event management website computing system to at least some of said group of participants identifying one or more second audiovisual items correlated to said first audio visual item by a recommender system;
• wherein said recommendations of one or more second audiovisual items are presented in a sequence determined by the recommender system to be optimized for higher participant rating scores based on a correlation of positive ratings for such items after sampling said first audiovisual item.