Doing my part for the Amazon google bomb...

[scribblinlenore]

Amazon Rank

FYI, for people who haven't seen this all over everywhere by now, Amazon has delisted the sales rankings for books it deems "adult"--targeting GLBT books of every stripe, including YA novels, children's books, self-help books, literary fiction, as well as romance and erotica. This removes these books from lists of bestsellers and also from certain searches. It, in effect, hides them.

There's more information on meta_writer.

Personally, I won't be buying anything from Amazon until this ridiculous policy is rescinded.

ETA: GOOGLE BOMB SUCCESS!
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=Amazon+Rank&fp=_rpp-4zAm3I

ETA2: I now see the point of Twitter.

Comments

[astrothsknot.livejournal.com]

I can't see the publishers sitting for that for long, particularly as some on the books on that list sell well.

*Hugs Kushiel's Legacy*

[scribblinlenore.livejournal.com]

I agree. This policy will really hurt sales, which will have publishers up in arms, and it's entirely nonsensical anyway. Even if a book does have adult content, no one is being "exposed" to it simply by seeing the title in a list of bestsellers or search results.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_slashygoodness/]

I'm now boycotting Amazon, eBay, iTunes, and I'm pretty sure someone else. I think they only make these policies to control my spending. Narcissistic conspiracy theorist, much?

[scribblinlenore.livejournal.com]

Hee! Hey, at least there's some little bit of a bright spot. Your budget is safe!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_slashygoodness/]

Hopefully, I now won't spend as much leading up to my concert date so I can buy the Cobra Thriller hoodie and some Clan merch. ... I mean, so I can save up! Yeah!

[margueritem.livejournal.com]

Hah! Smartbitches is now the fourth link that appears when you google "amazon rank". :D

[scribblinlenore.livejournal.com]

I just checked it, and it came up #1!!!

[margueritem.livejournal.com]

It comes up second for me. *pouts*

Still, the power to the people! *shakes fish*

[ratcreature]

I've never used their "sales rank" for anything, and that's annoying and with their weird idea about what constitutes as "adult" also discriminating, but I find the modification to their search engine far more enraging. I just can't believe they broke their own search function so severly that some books don't show up anymore even if you search for them with the author and the titles. I've tried with some from the list in the blog posts about this and they just don't show. How is anyone supposed to still buy them?!? And they don't even seem to offer a checkbox so that you can opt in to get "adult" search results, anywhere I can see.

[scribblinlenore.livejournal.com]

And they don't even seem to offer a checkbox so that you can opt in to get "adult" search results, anywhere I can see.

Yes! I was thinking about that, too. Amazon is all about the personalization. So why not let people define their own levels of comfort? It leads me to feel that homophobia had a hand in the decision-making.

[korestemenos.livejournal.com]

This answers my question - there was a book that I was waiting to buy when it was published. I found it in February, but a week or so ago, I couldn't find it by searching on author or name. Huh, I just assumed that it had been put back and wouldn't be published for a while. I'm so glad people have worked out what they're doing because I would have gone on in ignorance...

[korestemenos.livejournal.com]

ETA2: I now see the point of Twitter.

haha yes! I may even get an account now. It seems to have some good uses...

[scribblinlenore.livejournal.com]

I'm still holding out about getting an account, but man, was it ever efficient at getting out the word! Way before Google news.

[tommybarbarella.livejournal.com]

Thank you for posting about this. I am just appalled! I signed the petition (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/in-protest-at-amazons-new-adult-policy). I too will not shop at Amazon until this is fixed. Anti-gay, pro-censorship assholes!