4 ms·

I understand the point you're making - but let me propose another way of thinking about it: Amazon pays a referral fee regardless of what item is purchased. W

by nlh 14y ago

I understand the point you're making - but let me propose another way of thinking about it: Amazon pays a referral fee regardless of what item is purchased. Whether you buy that book or Goodnight Moon or the Kardashian Family Coloring book, a referral link will pay. So I actually don't think this creates a conflict of interest regarding this book at all. Why would a "conflicted reviewer" point you toward this book vs any other book that he could be equally compensated for? The conflict arises in two cases -- if the OP insists you should buy this book that's only available on Amazon vs another book that's widely available. Or if this book happens to be significantly more expensive (and hence pays the OP better) than other books. I don't think either of those is the case here, so I think your dismissal is perhaps unfounded.

h2s 14y ago
Actually, I think the fact that the referral is payable after any purchase is a red herring. The review author is incentivised by their Amazon Affiliate status to choose words that will make me click on their link and get that money-making tracking cookie into my browser. Criticism of the book would not be conducive to that goal. I think this blog is an egregious blurring of the line between content and advertising. I urge you to go and look at its archive of posts. Every post somehow contrives to include at least one Amazon referral link. Svbtle is a business looking for a long-term business model, and I sincerely hope this isn't it.
- batgaijin 14y ago
  But I don't understand... how does that idea apply to a higher-standard blog hosted on Svbtle?
- lowboy 14y ago
  Out of the half-dozen or so Svbtle network articles I end up reading in a week, this is the only one I've noticed with a referral link to Amazon, let alone the repeated history of them like this author has. I think if anything it's this one author, not Svbtle as a whole.

by nlh 14y ago

h2s 14y ago

Actually, I think the fact that the referral is payable after any purchase is a red herring. The review author is incentivised by their Amazon Affiliate status to choose words that will make me click on their link and get that money-making tracking cookie into my browser. Criticism of the book would not be conducive to that goal. I think this blog is an egregious blurring of the line between content and advertising. I urge you to go and look at its archive of posts. Every post somehow contrives to include at least one Amazon referral link. Svbtle is a business looking for a long-term business model, and I sincerely hope this isn't it.

batgaijin 14y ago
But I don't understand... how does that idea apply to a higher-standard blog hosted on Svbtle?
lowboy 14y ago
Out of the half-dozen or so Svbtle network articles I end up reading in a week, this is the only one I've noticed with a referral link to Amazon, let alone the repeated history of them like this author has. I think if anything it's this one author, not Svbtle as a whole.