Something really really wrong with amazon.com
 

So I'm checking my email this morning, and as usual, there was an ad for a book from Amazon. I started to read it, and choked on my coffee...



I googled the book, and found this hateful blog entry from the "author": I'm stunned and angry that Amazon would let this kind of email go out... especially one geared toward fans of Disney.

I feel like I should alert Amazon about their mistake (I sure hope it's a mistake) - any suggestions?

That is absolutely bizarre. I am sure you won't be the only person they hear from. I can't imagine how this happened. This seems worth trying to contact someone by phone rather than email, just to get a human being on the case as quickly as possible. (That's what I'd try, at least. Of course, that could just as easily get you a computerized menu system from Hades - to check on your order, press one - to hear more about the Kindle, press two - to register consternation about hate literature, press three.)

Wow.

I'm stunned.
Personally, I would say something.

Oh, yeah- definitely say something. Is there some sort of Wiki element that allows readers to submit such trash, and then it's just sort of eletronically selected as a suggestion based upon shared keywords? (Although I can't imagine what sort of verbiage the books would have in common.) If so, perhaps they need to stop such practices until they can guarantee such offensive crap can't happen.

Looks like their algorithms had a serious fvck up.

I called Amazon corporate - left a message. They haven't called me back yet. I did forward a copy to Cory Doctorow (who did respond already) and to someone I know at the Mouse. We'll see what happens...

Not surprised something like this happens. All you can do it let them know and they'll see if something can be adjusted.

But this is the risk with all auto-recommend systems (remember the brouhaha a couple years when Wal-Mart's system was connecting Planet of the Apes to Martin Luther King topics)?

Especially when the items/topics involved are relatively niche and you don't get enough data to really support conclusions about connectedness. And especially if you are trying to use the system in a horizon-expanding way (it is easy to find the pattern in people who buy Disney books also buying other Disney books; much harder to determine if there is significance that of the 128 people who bought Disney A to Z in the last week, 3 also bought Season 3 of Battlestar Gallactica.

I know this bloke that's hot on dreams. I asked him about the one you quoted but all he did was babel on about a bunch of fat cows, skinny cows and some river. Made no sense at all..