Amazon Stops Selling Book On How To Game Amazon
from the free-speech-for-all...-except-if-we-don't-like-it dept
Remember Amazon’s recent statement that:
“Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable.”
The company quickly proved that wasn’t the case and went back on its word with that book, and since then has taken down a number of other books it decided were objectionable. Apparently, one of the latest books it finds objectionable is one that explains how to game Amazon’s ratings system. A guy, who figured out how to game the system that rates the popularity of Kindle books, wrote an ebook about his experience gaming Amazon’s Kindle ratings. It was up for a while, until people started writing about it.. and then suddenly it disappeared. Apparently, Amazon’s views on “censorship” are not quite as principled as the company made them out to be.
Filed Under: books, censorship, gaming, kindle
Companies: amazon
Comments on “Amazon Stops Selling Book On How To Game Amazon”
HAHAHAHAHA!
OH boy, this is just too funny! Amazon, Bastion of Free Speech(c), caugtht censoring negative stuff about them, just one month after defending a guidebook for paedophilia, then censoring Wikileaks?
Warms the cockles of my heart, that does.
While I don’t agree with Amazon’s doing, wouldn’t this be a breach with their ToS, to fake reviews and ratings?
Re:
Maybe someone else was selling a very similar book on how to game Amazon, and they wanted to avoid legal difficulties?
Mmm… free advertisement for the book on how to game Amazon’s ratings system, brought to you by Streisand effect. Good job, Amazon!
Re: Re:
it’s simply the truth! Never head about this book befor their censorship! ahah
It's only censorship...
when someone else does it. Kind of also like, “it’s only torture when someone else does it.”
Oh, is that all?
As I understood it, post-embarrassment censorship was officially considered fair play now. All the big names are doing it.
I didn't know
I didn’t know this book existed, but I guess I do now.
OK, off to find someone selling it!!!!!!
Re:
who’s faking reviews and ratings?
the book is a how to, it doesn’t mean they’re faking reviews and ratings by posting it.
Re:
The original story about this ‘book’ talked about how the author specifically was creating bogus Amazon accounts specifically to buy and review his own book in order to increase it’s popularity.
Good idea: Read the book to learn how the gaming is done, and then improve your systems to render the book’s techniques obsolete.
Bad idea: Delete the book from your store and hope the information in it just goes away.
Answer
…but this one goes to eleven.
ha
I don’t care about it. I never order a books trough the Amazon. Only CD/DVDs 😉
Re: ha
You still buy shiny plastic?
Re: Re: ha
You still buy shiny plastic?
You still buy?
Hehehe…(I actually still buy stuff too…)
Amazon is still selling the book...
Not sure if they’ve decided to reinstate it after the fuss, or if reports of it getting removed were just wrong in the first place, but the book definitely seems to be still, or back, on sale at Amazon…
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Day-the-Kindle-Died/dp/B004EYUICI/
For a company bending over backwards for the US gov, didn’t you expect them to be two-faced? Are any of you really surprised? Seriously?
Amazon on the s**t list.
I am proud to say I bought nothing from Amazon last year.
Re: Re:
Ditto, except ever.
Big cry babies
I can hear weeping and wailing to violins playing in the distance.
It’s one rule for them, and another rule for “WE” the managment is it? Whatever way you look at it, it still comes off as Amazon having a giant dose of sour grapes…Cry me a river..Sob sob…Barf!!!
Though it maybe of little worry to Amazon, I’m proud to say that I no longer buy from them, and at least ten of my friends have decided to ditch them too.
This is what happens when you bend over and take it from the man, and Amazon are now left wondering many of us won’t support them?
Not sure it's true
Amazon.com is selling it.
It’s here.
Ironically, it only has 1.5 stars rating.
Either the author’s gaming method is ineffective, or Amazon is counter-gaming.
re
Do you really think Amazon will suffer after that? I think it will be all right and any advertising is good.
Free speech vs common sense
Self-preservation is pretty fundamental for any business – why would one consider promoting a means to destroy oneself. Amazon is a business, not a guardian of human rights.