Amazon has now officially joined the Facebook craze. It has launched two of its own Facebook applications: Amazon Giver and Amazon Grapevine.
Amazon Giver shows your Amazon wishlist on your Facebook page. Of course, there are more than a dozen apps on Facebook that already let you do that, but only Amazon Giver lets your friends actually buy those gifts for you without leaving Facebook. Ah, distributed commerce. Your friends can also click on a recommendations tab that creates Amazon product recommendations based on interests reflected in your Facebook profile. So if you are “fan” of The Killers, it might recommend one of the band’s CDs. If you are a “fan” of a soccer page, it might recommend a soccer ball. It also provides recommendations for your friends, conveniently listed by closest birthday.
Amazon Grapevine creates an activity stream based on your actions on Amazon. Every time you update your wishlist, write a review, or rate a product on Amazon, it shows up in your friends’ Facebook news feed. Although this sounds almost exactly like Facebook’s Beacon program, Amazon is not part of Beacon (which went through a lot of privacy issues). Amazon Grapevine is completely opt-in. None of your activities are shown automatically just because you are a Facebook member. And none of your purchases are shown. In a way, it is too bad that is not an option. What a person buys says a lot about who they are.
This was bound to happen, just takes the big boys a little longer to move. I sort of hoped that it would display my wish list in my profile so my friends could see what I wanted, even if they didn’t have the app installed. In that same vein, it might even help the viral aspect of the app — because more than likely, my friends like some of the same things I do — and if they saw something they liked, they would be more prone to clicking on it.
Just shows that everyone should have a presence on major social networks, no matter how big your own site presence is.
Really levels the arguement of whether to build your own network or take part in existing.
Do BOTH!
Eric,
Interesting news – Amazon just gets online commerce like no one else in this space.
This move by Amazon should waken up media analyts to the fact that with this one move Amazon more effectively diminished FB’s importance than Google’s Open Social attempt.
Amazon realized what others will – you dont need FB to have a relationship with your customers and their activity stream. They already own it.
FB trumpets its user data – which no doubt is valuable – but do you know which organisation knows more about you than anyone else (and probably yourself)?
Your bank.
Not the bank, the NSA (No Such Agency, or National inSecurity Administration), with their taps into the biggest digital data communications switches in the US.
I got a brief tour of one of the “hardened” switch sites in San Francisco. Just racks and racks and racks and racks of computers, patch panels, cables bundled w/ color-coded nylon click-ties.
Caution: digression ahead: the new handcuffs the world over–you’d think the authorities would commission more human-skin-friendly molded shapes than the flat, flesh-cutting style used for cable. But nooo. I suppose such a more compassionate incarcerator would be more expensive. Think Aureomycin for Animals at $15 the 25-pound sack or so, and $1.15 the 60 mg gelatin capsule–$0.60 per pound for animals vs $21,735 per pound for hominids, if I’ve kept my decimals/arithmetic straight. Tell me why we don’t have a single-payer sickness insurance program in the US?
I like the fact I can get my amazon wishlist in front of all my friends who will still never buy me anything from it. Cool idea tho lol.
It’s also a way to drive reviews/ratings, which is increasingly one of Amazon’s key assets.
I’m flummoxed.
Good to have my friends see my wish list, eventually they will do something about it and I likewise for my friends.
are comments #1-#3 all from AMZN/FB employees or just 2 out of the 3?
really really sad
Finally some apps with some depth!! I have been saying this for a while now. Facebook needs to encourage real apps not toys. These are as close as real apps as I have seen so far.
It is because they bothered to listen to their fans.
> > > > Greetings from the Amazon.com
> > Associates Program.
> > > >
> > > > You have a great idea, however the wishlist widget is not
set up to do
> > > > this nor do we have any other kind of link or widget that
would
> > > > accomplish what you want to do. The wishlist widget would
have to be
> > > > designed with one specified wishlist. So I’m not sure that
this would
> > > > work for your needs.
> > > >
> > > > I have, however, passed your suggestion along to the
appropriate
> > > > department for consideration.
> > > >
> > > > Thank you for writing to the Associates Program.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Please let us know if this e-mail resolved your question:
> > > >
> > > > If yes, click here:
> > > > http://www.amaz...evcea3304985298
> > > > If not, click here:
> > > > http://www.amazon.com/rsvp-n?
c=rwaevcea3304985298&q=has0&nc2c=1
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Best regards,
> > > >
> > > > Jacci S.
> > > > Amazon.com
Associates
> > Program
> > > >
> > > > Network with other Associates. Visit our Associates Helping
> > > > Associates Discussion Board at
> > > > http://forums.p...m/am-associhelp
> > > >
> > > > Also, check out our blog at http://affiliat...blog.amazon.com
for tips
> > > > and useful information on the Associates program.
> > > > ===========================================
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ref_id:=wuctbcea1157523862
> > > >
> > > > > Date: Sat Nov 03 21:38:22 UTC 2007
> > > > > Subject: Customer Contact: Widgets
> > > > > To: “associates@amazon.com” associates@amazon.com
> > > > > From:
> > > > >
> > > > > Topic:
> > > > > Widgets
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Comments:
> > > > > I am building a dating site and I want to allow people
to ad a
> > > > wish list to their profile where if they can selct a variety
of
> > > > products they want and then display them on their profile.
> > > > >
> > > > > The senario I am looking to create is say a guy comes
along and
> > > > notices a girl has her favorite godiva chocolates in her
wish list.
> > > > He clicks a button that says I would like to send this person
> > > > chocolate. Now the guy will never know this users contact
info. An
> > > > email will be sent to the girl asking if she wants to
revcieve the
> > > > gift from this individual. The guy would have to go and
sign up for
> > > > an amzon account to send it. Teh sent to address would be
recorded
> > > > and kept private by amazon. The tracking info would go to
the person
> > > > who is suppose to recieve the gift.
> > > > >
> > > > > Now I looked at your wish list widget and it seems to do
this. I am
> > > > wondering if it is setup where I can embed a button that
says.
> > > > >
> > > > > “add wish list” so other members can send you your
favorite gifts.
> > > > >
> > > > > I take it anything that is boought through th wish list
gives me the
> > > > website own a % via an affiliate commision.
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > –
> > > Gebadia Smith
@9 – no I don’t work for Facebook or AMZ.
well, perfect timing given that it is my favorite person’s birthday tomorrow. I added this to my facebook profile. http://www.face...hp?id=500065899
So this is my Facebook app:
http://www.face...p?id=2483586982
(you may notice similarities in the functionality)
and four months ago this is the message I got from Ian McAllister (his name may be familiar if you’ve viewed Amazon’s app) about it:
“Hi Luke:
I work at Amazon and own the Listmania feature. I heard about your app today and checked it out. I think you’ve done a nice job and look forward to watching how your app and user base unfold.
Cheers,
Ian”
Nice Ian, real nice!
Still, their app currently only seems to support Amazon.com, so anyone using the Canadian site or a European site may still want to check my app out.
Hi Luke,
Sadly what did you expect, it was coming sooner rather than later.
thats why you should never build around other big companies.
I think everyone is jumping on the FaceBook band wagon.
In a way, this validates Beacon’s efforts. This one is e-tailer centered, not Facebook centered. But it still has some of the same underlying principles. Opt-in is different, but that’s where Facebook has ended up. There’s still some question about consumer motivation to participate.
More thoughts here: Facebook Beacon Is Dead. Long Live Amazon Grapevine. http://tinyurl.com/227rhx
Nice couple of apps! But if people want a utility that allows them to create a universal list of all the things that they want and like the look of, from anywhere site or store on the web (not just one store, even if it’s a big one!), then they should check out http://www.boxedup.com and the associated boxedup Facebook app which lets you share your finds and the things that you’re into with your Facebook friends (http://www.face...p?id=2363469710).
Luke Ziza is one of those cowards who needs to be the only one in the arena because he or she can’t hack the competition. Do you think the Giants got all scared in the superbowl because they were playing the Patriots? I am sick and tired of this cowards approach to the internet. Man up and simply kick some ass.
I am the dev of an app which uses Amazon as well.
My Fav Things: “What defines YOU? Pick and display your Fav music, movies, books, clothes, gadgets, video games, and more on your profile.”
http://www.face...?id=11801792183
We have a similar application to Amazon Giver.
“What I Want” can be found at the following link:
http://www.face...p?id=6050364943
Check it out.
Excellent move, drives revenue and supports Amazon as an innovator.
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Hey , its nice and very informative post. i saw another blog
http://facebookster.com/blog/