AmazonFail
So... Amazon is more evil than previously expected, or possibly just made a big, big goof.
Basically, sales rankings have been stripped from certain books. This means that they don't show up in bestseller lists, and, unless they're searched for directly by title and author, they don't show up in searches or automated recommendations.
This is a bad thing in general.
What makes it worse is that most of the books in this case are GLBT-themed. Amazon's canned customer response email has cited "adult content" as the reason for rank removal--except that the books include nonfiction, histories, children's books, and classics, and books of erotic photography from Playboy still have rankings.
This post on Dear Author is a good summary, and there's more detail at that blog as well.
Major, major fail, Amazon. I'm very interested to see what on earth they're going to come up with to explain it. (So far they've tried the "adult content" thing mentioned above, and a "programming glitch" which seems more and more unlikely--see above link. Maybe they'll try "rogue employee playing Easter prank" next?) Regardless, I am more and more disinclined to buy anything from them ever--just the concept of making any category of books unsearchable really, really bothers me.
Update: Another option: very impressive trolling strategies and someone who claims personal responsibility. This is slightly less horrifying, but only slightly--and, um, also fascinating. In a horrifying sort of way. In a diabolically brilliant sort of way...?
But even if the above is true, I want a significant apology from Amazon and acknowledgement that This Is Wrong and against everything liberal northwesterners believe in.
Update2: This guy throws some doubt on that second link there, but also says "The really interesting thing about the troll is that he's right even if he didn't do it." And also pontificates about the lack of logic and fact-checking in twits. I mean tweets. Good times.
Update3: And a clear and amusing summary which has the great advantage of referencing Alice's Restaurant. Now I'm thinking it probably was a ~glitch. I still want a sincere and coherant apology.
Basically, sales rankings have been stripped from certain books. This means that they don't show up in bestseller lists, and, unless they're searched for directly by title and author, they don't show up in searches or automated recommendations.
This is a bad thing in general.
What makes it worse is that most of the books in this case are GLBT-themed. Amazon's canned customer response email has cited "adult content" as the reason for rank removal--except that the books include nonfiction, histories, children's books, and classics, and books of erotic photography from Playboy still have rankings.
This post on Dear Author is a good summary, and there's more detail at that blog as well.
Major, major fail, Amazon. I'm very interested to see what on earth they're going to come up with to explain it. (So far they've tried the "adult content" thing mentioned above, and a "programming glitch" which seems more and more unlikely--see above link. Maybe they'll try "rogue employee playing Easter prank" next?) Regardless, I am more and more disinclined to buy anything from them ever--just the concept of making any category of books unsearchable really, really bothers me.
Update: Another option: very impressive trolling strategies and someone who claims personal responsibility. This is slightly less horrifying, but only slightly--and, um, also fascinating. In a horrifying sort of way. In a diabolically brilliant sort of way...?
But even if the above is true, I want a significant apology from Amazon and acknowledgement that This Is Wrong and against everything liberal northwesterners believe in.
Update2: This guy throws some doubt on that second link there, but also says "The really interesting thing about the troll is that he's right even if he didn't do it." And also pontificates about the lack of logic and fact-checking in twits. I mean tweets. Good times.
Update3: And a clear and amusing summary which has the great advantage of referencing Alice's Restaurant. Now I'm thinking it probably was a ~glitch. I still want a sincere and coherant apology.