At www.amazon.com the current bestseller is a book called unfit for command describing the complaints of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, led by John O’neil, against Presidential candidate John Kerry.
I feel that something very interesting and important is going on at Amazon.com concerning this book.
Amazon.com has adopted the following policy concerning this title and this title alone*
Out of all the books and goods that are offered at Amazon.com this is the only one that is exempt from normal policies as to reviews.
I would hope that all participants to this thread would leave their political views at the door. This is not about the relative merits of the book, or who you want for President. This is about this particular policy at Amazon.com. I would also hope that before participating, you might mosey over to Amazon.com, look at the reviews and see what’s going on.
Personally, I thing that Amazon has made a disastrously huge mistake with this policy.
They have opened themselves to accusations of discriminatory practices and favoritism. No matter what their intent is (and I have no clue why they would do this) It is discriminatory and represents favoritism.
As a Republican, I would be pissed off that Amazon is allowing bashing of only an anti-kerry book. Will we also get to bash Michael Moore’s DVD?
As a Liberal I would be pissed that this policy actually brings particular attention and focus to this one book above all others.
As a shareholder I would be upset that Amazon is applying it’s policies inconsistently, angering customers and creating negative controversy, while potentially leaving itself liable to lawsuits.
As an author I would be upset about this breach of the integrity of the review process.
(How can this be? Surely not his own hard-earned money…squandered only for our poor company…must have been begged, that must be it… a scholarship, an honorarium, only way it could have happened…beseeched and implored, he relented…yes, that must be it…it would be gracious and dignified to offer a welcome…even magnanimous!..Ah well, we are what we are…and what we aren’t…probably missed me…)
They didn’t want to get involved. So they said, in essence, a plague o’er both your houses, we don’t care, knock yourselves out, long as you buy books…
One question: does Amazon process bulk orders, that favorite scam of sleazy politics? Can, say, General Bullmoose buy 10,000 copies, pass them around to employees and other victims, take it off his taxes as an “educational charity” donation, and boost the fortunes of a pack of vicioius, slimy attack dogs? (Politics? What politics? Theoretical question only!)…
I don’t see the purpose of suspending rules for this book and this book only. Why does it deserve a dispensation from normal rules while others about similar topics don’t? I’m wondering if the publisher asked for this specifically; I can’t see why the board (or whatever group/individual it is that runs amazon) would decide on this if it wasn’t based on pressure from outside.
I am certainly no scholar, but this looks to me like they’re saying “Slander? Libel? Outright, blatant lying? You can’t hold us accountable for jack! Say whatever you like, facts and decency be damned!”
I don’t see how anyone can dispute this. Not a one of their many other controversial titles got such treatment.
Eh, Bezos is a Democrat, so what can one expect? I would guess that some phone calls from the Kerry camp (not directly linkable to Mssr.Kerry, of course) were placed to Br’r Bezos, subtle pressures were exerted, and presto! Granted, I don’t think that too many people are going to trudge through the klugey comment system just to read the output of some dutiful DU’r, but the matter stinks nonetheless.
He is a proud benificiary of the December Memorial SDMB Membership Fund. You know, that goofy charge on your credit card you keep getting…
Ooooooh, those treacherous Democrats! Isn’t it enough that they scorn the heroic service of GeeDubya (Praise the Leader!) in the harrowing Battle of Amarillo? Isn’t enough that they hound such patriots as O’Neill and Corsi with their scurrilous “facts” and “documents”? No, it would seem not! They are determined to undermine the very foundation of Holy Commerce, and to inhibit our God-given right to hear one side of the story, over and over and over…
Firstly: Wilkommen, Bienvenue and Welcome back to Scylla.
Now, on to other, more pressing things:
Horsehit, pure and simple. “Bezos is a Democrat, so what can one expect?” Really? Then you’re just chockablock full of instances wherein other titles by conservative authors and their bigoted co-authors had this same thing happen. So, where are they? Time to put up or retract.
As to the practice, I think that it’s pretty dumb and will bite 'em on the ass.
Here’s my guess: The sheer volume of user comments was so huge, and the man-hours Amazon had to devote to reviewing them so large (and the calls on whether something was veering into ad hominem, etc., so contentious in this case), that they just gave up and opened the floodgates.
I don’t think Amazon is obliged to spend countless hours reviewing all of those reviews. But I’m just guessing that the order of things was
book released
user reviews flooded in
Amazon staff overwhelmed
Amazon throws in the towel.
Now if the actual order was
book released
Amazon said, “we’re not getting involved in this brouhaha”
user reviews flooded in
then Amazon acted wrongly. But if something (that doesn’t generate income directly) was costing them time/money, then I can’t blame them for axing it. And, no, I don’t think they’re obliged to then eliminate ALL moderation for user reviews. If Fahrenheit 911 triggers a similar time-suck, then I’d expect them to cut off moderation there, too.
Simple economics. Amazon knew they couldn’t possibly moderate the morass that would be that comment section without devoting staff to it. They had to decide between giving up trying or shutting down discussion entirely. I guess this tells us one important thing: it came up tails.
