Irrepressible optimist that I am, I love Amazon reviews. Convenience is their best selling feature: one can find onsite and links to offsite reviews right there and, if one encounters an objective, competent reviewer, one can click on the link to see other recommendations by that reviewer. I think it is a tremendous opportunity not in spite of the bogus reviews from
authors themselves or
their families or friends but because of these things. It's not like they've set the bar very high. The blurbers and assassins are transparent enough, often made so by the absence or ineffectiveness of examples. Frankly, I can't see that it would take long to establish one's trustworthiness in such a milieu, if one were so inclined. What I found most amusing was
this:
Quote:
|
So, how can ordinary shoppers identify reviews by genuine customers? "Sadly, the only reviews to be believed are the ones whose spelling, grammar or sanity is dubious," says the writer. "They're the only ones guaranteed not to be from the author or his literary enemies."
|
LOL! Amazon must be the only literary venue where poor spelling and grammar
enhances one's credibility!
I was a little surprised to see Amazon take so long to implement features, including reviewer assessments, which were in place years earlier on sites like Egoless and Zoetrope. No biggy, though.
Best regards,
Colin