J.D. Lasica found that Amazon removed his review of Dan Gillmor's superb We the Media.
While we appreciate your opinions on the subject, the intent of customer reviews is to assist our customers in making an informed purchase decision. We provide our customer reviews section for you to comment on the merits of the book and the author's writing style. We ask that you not use it as a place for discourse on the subject matter.
It could be that this is just a slip in a too-far automated submission review system, but if corporate policy would really lead Amazon to reject thoughtful book reviews because they include "personal opinions on the subject matter," then Amazon has really lost its touch. A ban on opinionated reviews would take the very "We" out of media that made Amazon a hub in the first place.
Posted by Wendy at August 25, 2004 03:51 PM | TrackBackWhat's especially baffling is that there was not a drop of vitriol in the review, and the tangential information was absolutely relevant to the material in the book.
Posted by: JD Lasica on August 25, 2004 10:10 PMwhat don't they get? their mission is to sell stuff. they tailor their content to that end. so what if its irrational to you and me. big deal.
as for the "open forum" aspect of the issue, their is a notion implicated here that they should not be coerced into broadcasting another's message.
There were plenty of people selling stuff before Amazon. One of the reasons Amazon has drawn more of the buyers is because it offered a "community" space in which they could do more than just buy. Cutting back on the freedom of that discussion, I believe, will make them just another bookseller.
Posted by: Wendy Seltzer on September 1, 2004 02:20 PMNot just that, they also have some fairly shady approaches, check this user out:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/cm/member-glance/-/A3LPPQRQYOTMP6/ref=cm_aya_ac_longdesc/?see-more-desc=1
Excerpt: Wendy Seltzer points to the extraordinary story of Amazon telling J.D.
Weblog: John Palfrey
Tracked: August 25, 2004 07:38 PM
Excerpt: Amazon allow readers to post their thoughts on a given book. J.D. Lasica posted his review of Mindjack (by Dan Gillmor), only to find out that Amazon yanked his writing immediately. So instead of an informed review that places the...
Weblog: Chromatic Musings
Tracked: August 25, 2004 10:37 PM
Excerpt: Amazon allow readers to post their thoughts on a given book. J.D. Lasica posted his review of Mindjack (by Dan Gillmor), only to find out that Amazon yanked his writing immediately. So instead of an informed review that places the...
Weblog: Chromatic Musings
Tracked: August 25, 2004 10:37 PM
Excerpt: Many of my peers frequently ask me about which books they should purchase. While there are many good books within the marketplace, there is a category of books one should stay away from......
Weblog: Thinking Out Loud: Thought Leadership from an Enterprise Architect
Tracked: October 3, 2004 07:05 AM
