Monday 8 April 2013

Monday Musings: Amazon's Acquisition of GoodReads


This week's topic: Please share your opinions of Amazon's acquisition of GoodReads

It seems that Amazon.com has bought GoodReads last week and people are not happy. I personally think it's awesome. While I don't buy all my books from Amazon I do go there to read reviews of books. I don't like the way GoodReads has the reviews set up. So if I could click on the title of the book at GoodReads and it would take me right to the Amazon listing, I wouldn't complain at all.

Honestly I don't use GoodReads all that much. Mostly I just like being able to put the widget here on my blog. I think it's just too much of a hassle to get anymore involved with the site. I'm already on Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google +. I just don't have time to get more involved.

If you are someone who is deleting your account on GoodReads because Amazon bought them I have two words for you. Grow up! Are you really going to delete your account before you even know how it's going to change the website? That's just stupid and completely overreacting. It seems some of them are overly concerned that Amazon will be keeping tabs on what they are reading.

“I wasn’t happy doing it,” said Michele Filgate, an events coordinator at Community Bookstore in Brooklyn, N.Y. But she said called the prospect of Amazon knowing what books she buys and also what she reads as “just too much.”

Hello!? That could be a good thing! I love how Amazon shows similar books that I may be interested in. I've found many books I wouldn't have otherwise because of Amazon's suggestions. It's Amazon not Big Brother! (I'm sure there are many that would argue they are one and the same.) I think it would be wonderful for the authors and publishing companies to be able to see where they are ranking at Goodreads and Amazon. If you support your favorite authors, then you would want Amazon to know what you are reading! Because that lets your favorite authors know you are reading them!

And who cares if they know what you buy considering there's no rule that says you have to buy from Amazon? I've bought books other places. I've even written a review for books I bought elsewhere on Amazon a number of times.

Are you really that worried about some exec looking at the books you've bought and complaining that you weren't buying them from Amazon? Does this really keep you up night? Oh I do declare, that in a manner like Scarlet O'Hara, I will never have a profile on Goodreads again! Get over yourself already!

In fact, keep your profile on Goodreads but don't buy from Amazon. That's sticking it to The Man. Here's all the books I've read listed on Goodreads but I didn't buy any of them from you Amazon. Na na na na na na!

This post has been part of Monday Musings hosted by The Book Barista.

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