The Reading Vent & Rant Thread

[arjaybe]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Just yesterday I saw the first book in a series was $1 on Amazon. I clicked what I thought was the button to show me the rest of the series, but instead it purchased all the books as a one-click purchase.

That's fraud, isn't it?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Apache

If you can't tell me what the book is about, in the first few sentences, then I likely won't like it and will not waste my time.
Apache

I disagree with not liking the book because it has review garbage. Plenty of books I've read and enjoyed had review garbage in the blurb.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I disagree with not liking the book because it has review garbage. Plenty of books I've read and enjoyed had review garbage in the blurb.

It might be, but I am not wasting my time wading through a mountain to find one mole hill.
Apache

[theducks]

Originally Posted by arjaybe

That's fraud, isn't it?

Depends on what was indicated where clicked.
Think abvout all the Sites you visit to Download something that are loaded with OTHER 'Download' buttons (really Ads placed by their service host)

Amazon puts the Series link up at the top, under the Author (also a link to all book by) On the (specific) Book Page

[arjaybe]

Originally Posted by theducks

Depends on what was indicated where clicked.
Think abvout all the Sites you visit to Download something that are loaded with OTHER 'Download' buttons (really Ads placed by their service host)

Amazon puts the Series link up at the top, under the Author (also a link to all book by) On the (specific) Book Page

Even if it's not fraud it's certainly cynical manipulation.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by arjaybe

Even if it's not fraud it's certainly cynical manipulation.

Deceptive design patterns, better known as "dark patterns."

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Just yesterday I saw the first book in a series was $1 on Amazon. I clicked what I thought was the button to show me the rest of the series, but instead it purchased all the books as a one-click purchase.

Looks like the sting of the FTC dark patterns lawsuit has started to wear off. I guess the return of the incessant nags to subscribe to prime is next.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Is it really all that hard to click on read more?

Not hard, but certainly gratuitously onerous. (And over time can lead to RSI and premature mouse death.)

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Reguardless of how easy it is to click on read more, I don't think those review bits should be part of the book's description.

Especially when the review quotes are positioned as the first part of the blurb.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Renate

Yes, it is.
I'm sick of all those sites that waste my bandwidth (and time) to send the whole text of something and then they fade it away after the first sentence with a perky "Read more!"

For some time now most amazon reviews have "read more" even when the rest of the review uses less space than the "read more" and much more of long reviews is shown.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Not hard, but certainly gratuitously onerous. (And over time can lead to RSI and premature mouse death.)

That I can't argue with. Placing review quotes and other bits that don't tell me about the contents of the book before any information about the book is annoying at best.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by arjaybe

Even if it's not fraud it's certainly cynical manipulation.

So is most of the "read more" link crap.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by DNSB

annoying at best.

I completely agree.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I disagree with not liking the book because it has review garbage.

There is a big difference between "likely not like" and "not like".

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by arjaybe

That's fraud, isn't it?

No. Just clever website design by Amazon (against the consumer). To be fair, I was distracted at work. But there's a big orange button for 'buy the whole shebang' and a little plain text link for 'look first', exacerbated by 1-Click.

Originally Posted by arjaybe

Even if it's not fraud it's certainly cynical manipulation.

Yes it is.

You know, I moved to buying most of my books from Kobo. I bought this book at Amazon because it is an indie that is part of KU.

I have my gripes with how Kobo's website is designed (why is the 'purchase confirmation' page so useless?) but man, I sure prefer buying there to buying from Amazon.