Should Amazon scrap reviews.

[Freddiesmum]

I like to leave reviews, and I always read then before I buy as well, and I use the pinch of salt that is often required!
I leave 5 stars when I have really enjoyed a book. I mean the 5 stars to be understood as being my opinion. as do the few 1 stars I have left!

[Stuart]

Good point. If the word 'review' was replaced with 'opinion' I think the whole issue would be a little less fractious!

[Sara]

Stuart wrote: "Good point. If the word 'review' was replaced with 'opinion' I think the whole issue would be a little less fractious!"

What difference a word makes!

[Natasha]

I agree, some members might be madly posting away in threads you don't visit, so you can't tell who's a 'drop and run.' I like that www.kindleboards.com shows the number of posts beside each member when they post so you can see how active they are.

[Tim]

Just hover you mouse over the poster's name - it'll tell you how many posts they've made in the group :)

[Natasha]

Tim wrote: "Just hover you mouse over the poster's name - it'll tell you how many posts they've made in the group :)"

Tim, that's brilliant. Love it. Thanks so much.

[Chris]

A lot of people read more than they comment. I asked on the KDP forums for people willing to do proofreading swaps and I was contacted by a couple of people who hadn't ever commented. On Kindleboards especially I find a lot of posters feel the need to respond to each thread purely to get another viewing for all the pretty pictures of their own books in their signatures.

[Snoozie Suzie]

I agree with a lot of what has been said on this., in that I like the reviews for non-book purchases and think they should remain; I have never reviewed on Amazon, and sometimes only rate on GR with no review - sometimes I just finish a book and think I liked it/ didn't like it/ it was okay/ etc, but have nothing more to add as I didn't connect with it (or something). My reviews are my thoughts about the book and so are written for me in a way - some may not like them, but if I'm going to write them I have to do it in my way.

Like others, I do read the reviews on GR but as we are all different don't let them influence me as much as the cover and synopsis.

[A.L.]

I think I would feel too guilty to give another author a 1 star review, well unless the book was truly terrible. I have seen a few recently that were- someone (who couldn't write in good English) scrapping internet content and putting it in a book for sale - actually he had a few. He hadn't even sorted it out so it looked like he hadn't scrapped the content.

Got himself banned from Zon.

Anyway as I was saying I probably wouldn't leave a one star review if it was simply I didn't get on with the book.

[Jim]

Chris wrote: "I find a lot of posters feel the need to respond to each thread purely to get another viewing for all the pretty pictures of their own books in their signatures...."

Curses, found out at last

[Will]

Jim wrote: "Chris wrote: "I find a lot of posters feel the need to respond to each thread purely to get another viewing for all the pretty pictures of their own books in their signatures...."

Curses, found ou..."

Yes, dreadful behaviour.

[Kath]

on most forums you can set viewing signatures to "off" i certainly did that over at KUF cos i found the signatures were getting out of control over there. far too "in your face" but then i suppose one author does it and the rest have to follow...

[A.L.]

Will wrote: "Jim wrote: "Chris wrote: "I find a lot of posters feel the need to respond to each thread purely to get another viewing for all the pretty pictures of their own books in their signatures...."

Curs..."

That is one reason why I have a different profile pic to my author pic. Sometimes I am reader too. People Know I am an author, I promo every so often and if people want to look at my author page they can... or not.

[Kath]

Maybe Amazon should just review scraps instead?
Happy New Year for tomorrow - in case I'm tired and emotional!

[R.M.F.]

Tim wrote: "Just hover you mouse over the poster's name - it'll tell you how many posts they've made in the group :)"

Been trying to find that out for a while! I need a slap for my idiocy!

[Will]

Ignite wrote: "Maybe Amazon should just review scraps instead?
Happy New Year for tomorrow - in case I'm tired and emotional!"

Is that tired and emotional...as a newt?

[Kath]

That's the one! ;)
How well you know me!

[Tim]

R.M.F wrote: "Tim wrote: "Just hover you mouse over the poster's name - it'll tell you how many posts they've made in the group :)"

Been trying to find that out for a while! I need a slap for my idiocy!"

I only discovered it by accident!

[B J]

With the sock-puppets, the paid-for, the initial flood of 5* from friends and family, and now the 'No' down-voting games, Amazon reviews seem to be close to worthless. But for each individual reader perhaps these mass reviews have never been very helpful. Life of Pi has almost four hundred 5* reviews on Amazon, but I thought it a heap of poorly-written pretentious rubbish. Comment by a trusted individual reviewer, together with sampling, is more helpful. I wouldn't be surprised if Amazon banned book reviews. Policing them is rapidly becoming a pain in the backside.

[Freddiesmum]

Life of Pi has almost four hundred 5* reviews on Amazon, but I thought it a heap of poorly-written pretentious rubbish.

Hear hear!! absolute garbage in my opinion.

[Will]

I stopped wanting to buy the book as soon as I saw that the tiger didn't eat the boy.

Willing suspension of disbelief only goes so far.

[Tim]

Obviously it ate the boy. But it was also a shapeshifting tiger that assumed the boy's identity...

[Elle]

400 people with a different opinion that y'all. i'm shocked.

[Jim]

Tim wrote: "Obviously it ate the boy. But it was also a shapeshifting tiger that assumed the boy's identity..."


I just assumed it was an ordinary tiger with a really imaginative defence counsel

[Kath]

I didn"t like it either.