social media |

>I last heard about Amazon testing a ‘Like’ button for some users back in November on Techcrunch. I think it’s a great idea, 90% of the reason I’ll buy a book is through a recommendation from friends or Amazon ratings, and this is a very easy way to give feedback on a book when you’re feeling too lazy to do a review. When books have no reviews on Amazon, it’s an immediate turn-off, so this will help get more recommendations.

YouTube realised back in 2009 that a 5-star rating system is useless for reasons outlined here, so I’m relieved Amazon has caught up. It’s a lot easier to click ‘like,’ and people enjoy sharing their opinions.

Even more excitingly, once you’ve ‘liked’ a book, you can share this news on Facebook or Twitter. I’ve taken note of people showing off on LinkedIn about what Amazon books they’ve read, I think once this catches on then reading will feature more prominently in people’s more popular social media profiles.

Here’s where I saw the Like button for the first time, on my own dear mother’s book ‘Twilight, True Love and You’ which is out in April.

I can’t wait to see what effect this will have on book sales!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twilight-True-Love-You-Finding/dp/1849531404/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296811055&sr=1-1

>This year has been particularly rich in fun links flying around, here are my top picks:

5.
Books for Christmas?!

– I know my writerly friends will appreciate this

4.
What the Fuck is My Social Media Strategy = – bit too close to the bone, this one – though may prove useful when cold calling in 2011 and I run out of things to say

3.
The Daily Mash has been amusing me all year: No Work has been Done Since Last Tuesday

2.
30 Most Important Cats of 2010 – Forget round-ups of the most important news stories/people/books of the year/ everyone in this busienss knows the internet runs on cats, so they definitely deserve a top thirty instead of the usual ten.

1.
Santa Brand Book – I laughed so much, I cried. Anyone working in marketing or advertising needs to read this the whole way through, then take a good hard look at themselves. Then laugh. Then possibly cry.