Amazon destroyed the author's database.

[Liralen]

I will clarify, should it be necessary, that I always recommend that any messages to Support remain polite. GR Support is (theoretically) able to do more than librarians where bot issues are concerned, but they are not the bots, they are not responsible for the bots, and politeness doesn't cost anything.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Support cannot do anything about the bot. They have said so. Sometimes they refer things to the developers. Sometimes they say the developers already know about the issue. Nothing is going to be done because management doesn't want it to stop. The bot is out of control.

[Freso :watermelon:]

Sammm wrote: "I’m not sure if this thread is purely about Amazon bot destroying specifically AUTHOR pages, […]"

It’s not: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... - but Tiag⊗ is the only one that can edit the title and so far hasn't done it.

[Javier]

Not sure if related (hopefully not?), I keep getting this error message when trying to set this entry deleted by the bots back to Public status:


Now I've tried several combinations of the following to no avail: entering a librarian note, removing it, removing the description, entering text in the change comment field, and doing nothing but setting the status to Public. Am i missing anything here?

(I've noticed the librarian note left by the bot reads "librarian note for this nilclass", instead of the usual "librarian note for this book", so maybe this is something we cannot fix at all?)

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Your link goes to your post. Can you post the link to the book where you're getting this error?

[Javier]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Your link goes to your post. Can you post the link to the book where you're getting this error?"

This is the entry:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/edit/1...

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Odd, to say the least. It let me clear the librarian note, add the page count, add a cover. Let's give it a few minutes and see if changing to Public sticks and that it can be searched by ASIN. (And of course, none of that saved, although I could see it on the edit page.)

[lethe]

Javier wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Your link goes to your post. Can you post the link to the book where you're getting this error?"

This is the entry:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/edit/1......"

There is no space between the dot after the link and The in the librarian note. If you add a space I think it will be OK.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

lethe wrote: "There is no space between the dot after the link and The in the librarian note. If you add a space I think it will be OK."

Doing so has no effect. As above, I even tried removing the librarian note entirely. I do so in these instances because the note is meaningless. This is a Kindle edition which doesn't relate to ISBNs anyway.

I think Javier's observing that the first words of the note are different. "librarian note for this nilclass"

Do we know what a "nilclass" is? It probably means Deleted.

[lethe]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "lethe wrote: "There is no space between the dot after the link and The in the librarian note. If you add a space I think it will be OK."

Doing so has no effect."

Then it is the same problem I mentioned before*: some ACE notes are not accepted due to how the URL is formed.

*I mean in the other thread started by Liralen: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I wonder if it would allow staff to remove the ASIN? If so, another record *with* the ASIN could be created.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

lethe wrote: "some ACE notes are not accepted due to how the URL is formed.

*I mean in the other thread started by Liralen …


I was interpreting your comment in that thread to be URLs in the description, not in the librarian note. I have never seen the system have an objection to a URL in the librarian note.

[lethe]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "lethe wrote: "some ACE notes are not accepted due to how the URL is formed.

*I mean in the other thread started by Liralen …


I was interpreting your comment in that thread to be URLs in the desc..."

It happens in both, but not all the time.

[Javier]

lethe wrote: "There is no space between the dot after the link and The in the librarian note. If you add a space I think it will be OK."

Adding spaces or removing the note doesn't seem to work, also no "do not include links to other pages" error :/
This reminded me of the week before the Status drop-down menu was implemented, when un-NABbing a book was ineffective as entries were marked as Invalid but we hadn't any means to change status back. Maybe there's some option only devs or staff can access atm. I'm reporting the entry to staff then.

[Mesembryanthemum]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Do we know what a "nilclass" is?"

It means slopping programming, bad code reviews, and poor release methodology. An internal error like this should NEVER appear in the user interface. (TMI: A "nilclass" is a thing in the Ruby programming language, and perhaps others. Many Ruby tutorials tell programmers how to never get this error.)

Goodreads is giving me PTSD flashbacks to the horrible software company that I once worked for. I quit because I had no power to fix anything (I was the technical writer) but couldn't stop caring about the software errors, lack of testing, and bad management. They wouldn't even let me write snarky release notes.

Edit to cross out my assumption that the internal error appeared to a librarian. It didn't. Sorry! But this is still a bug that testing should have discovered before release.

[Scott]

I think it will be my new insult. "You're such a nilclass!"

[lethe]

Mesembryanthemum wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Do we know what a "nilclass" is?"

It means slopping programming, bad code reviews, and poor release methodology. An internal error like this should NEVER appear in the u..."

Commiserations :(

[Javier]

*click*
just in case

[Scott]

Javier wrote: "
*click*
just in case"

First I have to make sure every one of my 1800 books is correct...

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Scott wrote: "I think it will be my new insult. "You're such a nilclass!""

🤣

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

& I now can't get on page 14 of this thread (I'm posting this from Page 13) I get the pink screen & something about needing at least one character for the book record?

Edit; Exactly the same pink screen as Javier posted in #651

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Yay that worked - but even a complaint thread doesn't work properly now.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "Yay that worked - but even a complaint thread doesn't work properly now."

They've probably had a bellyful of our complaints. 🤣

[L J]

Downdetector has shown problems for AWS and Amazon today but so far Goodreads looks okay even though AWS problems can cause problems here.

[Dobby]

lethe wrote: "Mesembryanthemum wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Do we know what a "nilclass" is?"

It means slopping programming, bad code reviews, and poor release methodology. An internal error like this should NEVER appear in the u..."

Commiserations :(."

+1K

I too was a tech writer. It was always trouble when Marketing drove Development.

[L J]

Dobby wrote: "lethe wrote: "Mesembryanthemum wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Do we know what a "nilclass" is?"

It means slopping programming, bad code reviews, and poor release methodology. An internal error...
...always trouble when Marketing drove Development."

and if not Marketing then there's always that bright executive...

[Mesembryanthemum]

Dobby wrote: "I too was a tech writer. It was always trouble when Marketing drove Development.."

Tech-writer fist bump! I agree 1000%.

[lethe]

Serdnito wrote: "I write to support to correct the ASIN/ISBN of 3 mixed editions. 1 hour after support fixes it, the bot changes to delete all Kindle editions :(

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
https..."

Arrgghh! I thought they had assured us the bots wouldn't do that to human-edited records?

[L J]

lethe wrote: "Serdnito wrote: "I write to support to correct the ASIN/ISBN of 3 mixed editions. 1 hour after support fixes it, the bot changes to delete all Kindle editions...
Arrgghh! I thought they had assured us the bots wouldn't do that to human-edited records?"

Human edited the ASIN/ISBN.
BadBot edited status.
Don't think the assurance was meant to apply to whole book record, just to field edited by human and not sure that's 100% guaranteed never to happen.

[lethe]

Ah yes, I guess you're right.

ETA I do wonder what it is that triggers the bot to delete valid records.

[lethe]

Corinne wrote: "this one has deleted status but nothing in the log that shows it was deleted. would the bot create a "deleted book"?

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/......"

I've seen the bots create an edition and immediately afterwards delete it, but that was visible in the log. I have not seen them create an edition that they marked 'deleted' at the same time.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Corinne wrote: "this one has deleted status but nothing in the log that shows it was deleted. would the bot create a "deleted book"?

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/......"

I think there is often no record in the log when the bot deletes a record. I have been finding empty librarian logs when I've been merging authors. I'm pretty sure this is because the bot created an edition with, for instance a 2-space author, and then deleted the editons, leaving the edition blank.

I am impressed that some are finding these deleted editions. According to all released information, the only way to find these is by trying to add an edition with the ASIN/ISBN. When I have asked support to move an ASIN/ISBN-10, I leave the record open to assure myself that the now empty edition is deleted. Sometimes they do it, and sometimes I have to do it.

[二六]

I found the edit like this:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/edits/...

amazon_catalog automatically deleted the books with ISBN!

You, the administrators of Goodreads, please stop the amazon_catalog killing the catalogs especially for the non-English books.

If you do nothing, you will let the amazon_catalog destroy Goodreads.

[lethe]

二六 wrote: "You, the administrators of Goodreads, please stop the amazon_catalog killing the catalogs especially for the non-English books.

If you do nothing, you will let the amazon_catalog destroy Goodreads."

I doubt the people responsible will see your plea here. You could contact Support: https://www.goodreads.com/about/conta... (not that it will do much good, since after a myriad of complaints they still let the bots go on)

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Why doesn't the log show which book was updated? These were all moved from a correct author to an incorrect author. Or at least I think it was a correct author. Maybe the edition needs both authors. How can I tell?

https://www.goodreads.com/author/edit...

Or here where the log says "amazon_com created the book". But which book?

https://www.goodreads.com/author/edit...

[lethe]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "the log says "amazon_com created the book". But which book?"

Since it was they were all deleted, we don't know.

[Scott]

Corinne wrote: "this one has deleted status but nothing in the log that shows it was deleted. would the bot create a "deleted book"?

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/......"

I have noticed this as well. Several authors have complained that their brand new book has been deleted, but I see nothing for that action in the log.

[Scott]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I am impressed that some are finding these deleted editions. According to all released information, the only way to find these is by trying to add an edition with the ASIN/ISBN."

That's exactly what they are doing. Authors are trying to add their books because they think they aren't here, and they can't. So then we have to try to do the same thing to find the invisible record and fix it.

[paperlove]

Is it new that the ASIN is not shown (anymore) under "this edition" on the book page? I've found so many books in the last few days whose Kindle version incorrectly had an ISBN (thanks to the Amazon bot!) and I've noticed that the ASIN is no longer displayed at all on the book page. Also, no search results are shown when I type the ASIN into the search bar at the top of the Goodreads page (as if there were no results). I can only see the Kindle version when I click enter. And I'm pretty sure this was working a while ago....

[Scott]

paperlove wrote: "Is it new that the ASIN is not shown (anymore) under "this edition" on the book page?"

Yes, it's part of the new design.

Also, no search results are shown when I type the ASIN into the search bar at the top of the Goodreads page (as if there were no results).

I've noticed this as well. Then I try to add the book and it says it's already there in public status.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

paperlove wrote: "Is it new that the ASIN is not shown (anymore) under "this edition" on the book page? I've found so many books in the last few days whose Kindle version incorrectly had an ISBN (thanks to the Amazo..."

The new book page does not display the ASIN and never has. It also doesn't show the Edition field. That information can be found on the Other Editions page with Expand Details.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Scott wrote: "So then we have to try to do the same thing to find the invisible record and fix it.
"

Thanks, Scott. I am in the process of rescuing dozens of editions of The Brothers Karamazov. I may go to another title afterward.

[paperlove]

Scott wrote: "paperlove wrote: "Is it new that the ASIN is not shown (anymore) under "this edition" on the book page?"

Yes, it's part of the new design.

Also, no search results are shown when I type the ASIN i..."

oh ok. then i apparently didn't notice the missing ASIN on the book page until now, since the amazon bots are causing such a mess with the ISBN/ASINs.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Thanks, Scott. I am in the process of rescuing dozens of editions of The Brothers Karamazov. I may go to another title afterward."

And, so I think "what's the point?"

I. give. up.

[lethe]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Thanks, Scott. I am in the process of rescuing dozens of editions of The Brothers Karamazov. I may go to another title afterward."

And, so I think "what's the point?"

I. give. up."

You lasted longer than some of us.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I have recommended Goodreads to many many people. No more.

I do plan to still use it, but I don't know for how long. My primary reading group may go by the wayside and if that happens ...

[lethe]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I have recommended Goodreads to many many people. No more."

It is beyond sad how they have ruined a wonderful thing.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

lethe wrote: "It is beyond sad how they have ruined a wonderful thing."

Yes. I said upthread I thought Goodreads is now worth more than they paid Otis for it. I don't think Otis got out at the top and it may still be worth more now. But at the rate they're going it will be worthless by this time next year.

[Eressea]

I have more than 4000 book records here in goodreads (most of them are non-english book). If this situation still goes on, where should I go. It is hard to export then import without trouble to new net-bookshelf.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Eressea wrote: "I have more than 4000 book records here in goodreads (most of them are non-english book). If this situation still goes on, where should I go. It is hard to export then import without trouble to new..."

I'm not sure. I may just use the exported file in Excel. It will also open in a Google sheet.