1. What is it?
The thumbs up ‘Like’ button we’ve become accustomed to seeing on Facebook and other linked sites has now made an appearance on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.
2. Where is it?
You’ll find it when you are on a particular book’s page, just below the title and next to the book’s rating and number of reviews.
3. When did it arrive?
Amazon began inserting this button on select pages during the summer of 2010 (as near as I can figure out.) It’s now on all the books I looked up, so I assume it’s gone universal.
4. Why a ‘Like’ button on Amazon?
Amazon says: “Liking things on Amazon can help improve your shopping experience by allowing us to provide personalized product recommendations based on what you like. You can try the feature on many Amazon product pages. You’ll be able to see how many other Amazon customers like a product, and clicking the “Like” button adds the product to your list of liked items.”
5. Who will benefit from using it?
You. According to the FAQ, the button is currently being used only to fine tune the recommendations Amazon makes to you, based on books you’ve said you ‘liked.’ But surely there’s something in it for Amazon?
6. How do you use it?
When you click the ‘Like’ button, it turns orange and says ‘Liked.’ The displayed number of people who ‘Like’ the book goes up by one. You will see a pop-up asking if you wish to share your ‘Like’ to email, Facebook, or Twitter. You also have the option of viewing all your ‘Likes’ or of unliking the book.
If you click on the Facebook button, it brings up the familiar sharing box from FB, with the book’s image and info displayed, and giving you the opportunity to add your words of enthusiasm. This then posts to your wall. What it does NOT do is add this book to your permanent FB Info page –> Arts and Entertainment –> Books. (I wish it would!)
It also does not transfer your ‘Like’ between Kindle and paperback versions, so if you really want to ‘Like’ an item, you need to click it on applicable versions.
What does it all mean?
At the moment, there doesn’t seem to be a huge benefit in clicking the button, unless you pay attention to books that Amazon recommends to you. (I rarely do.) It may benefit the book’s author if it causes the book to show up more often in other reader’s recommendation list (and if they pay attention to it.)
Cory Bortnicker says: “Generally, we like this. In a way, a like button almost makes more sense on Amazon, where you can use it to “like” actual goods, as opposed to Facebook status updates, wherein we’re “liking” concepts, or granting approval to someone’s decision to post lyrics to some song.”
What’s the speculation around the button and how it works?
Here’s an interesting discussion as various Amazon customers try to figure out what’s up and what’s not, including some potential options coming up.
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