Disaffected Amazon Poster

[Randall R. Young]

Recently, Amazon's discussion forum has taken a very ominous turn towards censorship and political bias. I am hoping this place might be open to a less radicalized style of opinion sharing. But I have yet to make my way to any actual discussions. Time will tell, I guess.

I didn't see the intro guidelines until just now.

Male, 50's, interested in general science topics and ontology/epistemology from a non-religious POV.

My business is audiobook production, and music. I have numerous industry awards, including 3 Grammys, 4 Audies, and 2 Odysseys

[Randall R. Young]

I am hoping to bring some of the more reasonable posters over there to over here.

[johnson1010]

Welcome!

What kind of schenanigans were they up to over at Amazon?

[Jozanny]

Hi Randall,

I have any number of disaffected online associations, but admittedly, I never viewed Azmo, as I affectionately dub it, as a posting community per see. Account holders can discuss products within certain parameters, and so I just review there under my real name, primarily to practice capsule writing.

I am new to BookTalk myself, and trying gingerly not to break any eggs, but like you, I'm an adult, well educated, and like driving a hard bargin, and that doesn't always mesh with corporate encroachment.

Good luck with your experience here.

Jozanny

[Chris OConnor]

Welcome to the community!

Please drag anyone and everyone over here. We don't censor unless you get really out of hand. And no topics are taboo here. Well, let me restate that. We welcome heated discussions of all those topics that we were always warned not to discuss at dinner.

[Randall R. Young]

Welcome!

What kind of schenanigans were they up to over at Amazon?

There seems to be a new de facto censorship policy that "selectively prosecutes" persons who strike me as quite reasonable, creative and eloquent--all the while leaving the dregs of repetitive, unoriginal bible-thumpers and nihilists, some of whom do virtually nothing but flout the published rules with impunity. I don't mind a bit of censorship, if it is in the interest of decorum, and fairly applied... But that doesn't seem AT ALL what Amazon's motives are. Instead, they seem to be eliminating anybody who takes a hard line against religionists, regardless of civility and reason. They have even taken to censoring the author Anne Rice--who, as I understand it, sells a lot of books over at Amazon. You'd think they'd at least not want to offend their bread&butter authors!

Anyway, recently they ousted a popular, long-time poster by the name of Nietzsche's Girlfriend, and it all came to a head. The religion forum has contained virtually nothing but protests about this action, in a form of "civil disobedience". She wasn't even an atheist, but she took a fairly hard line against organized religion--enough that the church ladies decided to exercise a liberal use of the "report abuse" button. And it seems they have a friend in the censorship loop, because this reporting seems to stick, in a way mine never did. (I always used that button to point out specific rule violations, such as multiple postings of the same material to different threads, or obvious hawking of an author's own books.

I've had it with them. I am a bit concerned that this site has a close association with Amazon, sales-wise, but I don't intend to shop there anymore. Booksellers ought to have the sensibilities of public librarians as much as they can, and obviously, Amazon has let this idea hanging out to dry. Let them have their contentious BS. I don't need them; I have Barnes & Noble.

(I sure hope they don't follow in Border's footsteps! The world will become a very uninteresting place if the only booksellers are to be overly paternalistic web outlets, devoid of "feel", like Amazon has shown itself to be.)

[Harry Marks]

Hey Randall,
I am not responding so vehemently, in part because I don't think I could verify the surmises that are so frustrating you, but on my first day in, this looks like an ok substitute or complement.
Certainly I would confirm, as Randall suggests, that the recent deletion or suspension of particular commentators seems excessively touchy and somewhat random, and that there may well be a bias involved, judging by people who have been reported and yet go on posting.

[Dexter]

I've had it with them. I am a bit concerned that this site has a close association with Amazon, sales-wise, but I don't intend to shop there anymore. Booksellers ought to have the sensibilities of public librarians as much as they can, and obviously, Amazon has let this idea hanging out to dry. Let them have their contentious BS. I don't need them; I have Barnes & Noble.

(I sure hope they don't follow in Border's footsteps! The world will become a very uninteresting place if the only booksellers are to be overly paternalistic web outlets, devoid of "feel", like Amazon has shown itself to be.)

I know nothing about Amazon's forums -- I knew they had book specific threads, but I never bothered to check out their general forums. They're in the business of selling cheap books and they are very good at it -- I've done comparisons and they often have significantly better prices than Barnes & Noble. I don't have any financial interest but unless they start torturing puppies I am pro-Amazon, and I hope Chris can make a few bucks from them. If you want to boycott Amazon affiliates, of course that's your prerogative.

[Jozanny]

Not to butt in again, but this is my point. Amazon is an online Walmart, and I love their business model. Their community standards are not beholden to the first amendment. I do not like Christian genre authors like Brian Keene, but as a semi-professional freelancer, I study what sells on the site, and the genre is popular, so of course the company doesn't wish to alienate their Christian consumers.

Domain owners are not subject to the US Constitution, though in practice most sites have TOS or rules, that say as long as you are not a Nazi, and so forth, you can express. Sure, free speech is nearly a sacred civil liberty, but most sites are owned, and can deny you that exercise. I've read Amazon's rules, and basically review what I care to. A novelist who was unhappy with my rating got into an argument with me, but since it was about the product, I wasn't censored. If the thread was deleted, however, no grief here.

I have the right not to like a text, but the company, understandably, wants to make a profit off of what they sell.

[President Camacho]

Loving this discussion.