XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-10   
   From: mariasophia@comprehension.com   
      
   John wrote:   
   > So, "insightful" means lying like a bastard for ten years about how   
   > bloody good Amazon is and how wonderful Bozo is, right?   
      
   Amazon doesn't care if you like or hate it. They care it's "excellent".   
       
      
   Like everything at Amazon, nobody really knows the full technical algorithm   
   for how they choose 'insightful' reviews, but I often got contacted by the   
   sellers over the years who often gave me free product to test "for them" so   
   even the sellers thought my reviews were insightful.   
      
   When I posted on the bimmer web forums, sellers (e.g., Dorman & Axxis)   
   would contact the web site to ask if I'd review their products for free.   
      
   Sellers can tell when a review is complete and balanced and fair.   
      
   Most people consider an "insightful" review to be one that is accurate.   
   a. Usually, being accurate means balanced.   
   b. Usually balanced means pros and cons that are meaningful.   
   c. People who complain about the "packaging" are not being meaningful.   
      
   Just like with my Usenet posts.   
      
   >>Who knows what Amazon robots think are the best of the best though.   
   >>But we do know that Amazon robots thought I was one of their very best.   
   >   
   >  Do you like them a lot?   
   >   
   >  Were your reviews consistently positive?   
      
   Heh heh heh... I don't think anyone has gotten a five out of five in a long   
   time, as it has to have no cons whatsoever to earn a five out of five.   
      
   I would bet my average is around 3, but I give plenty of 1s and 4s.   
   A few of my reviews got the product pulled from Amazon's shelves.   
      
   What I really judge harshly on are when the seller outright lies.   
   There's a lot of that where even previous reviewers didn't catch the lies.   
      
   Some people are just detail oriented. Some are not.   
   You can tell detail-oriented people by how they write.   
   a. Their grammar is perfect   
   b. Their spelling is perfect   
      
   Notice these are trivial things (like how to tell whom vs who).   
   But people who aren't intelligent can't figure out the details.   
      
   What do you think about me in terms of how I delve into detail?   
      
   >  I wasn't invited anywhere. Not even out for a cup of tea. :)   
      
   The review has to stand out as being especially accurately insightful.   
   There's a perennial discussion on Reddit over what's insightful.   
      
   Certainly Amazon cares not a whit about what "score" you give the product.   
   I've brazenly claimed the products are illegal in fact, & they pull 'em.   
      
   >>I am one of the best in the world in quite a few things, it turns out.   
   >>That has always been the case (e.g., I scored 800/800 on my 1960's SATs).   
   >   
   >  Is that a good thing? :)   
      
   Well, I often say on the Apple newsgroups that most (not all, but most) of   
   those zealots can't possibly have scored well in tests because they believe   
   everything Apple tells them to believe - which intelligent people don't do.   
      
   You have to be able to separate the "words" Apple marketing (brilliantly)   
   employs from what they actually "said", e.g., Apple mentions "efficiency" 9   
   times in every 12-page datasheet and yet the iPhone scored B on efficiency.   
      
   Intelligence means that you understand the "sentence" that Apple marketing   
   brilliantly uses (e.g., the "cpu was efficient" vs the "phone" wasn't).   
      
   My intelligence has never been in question anywhere in my life (well,   
   except on Apple newsgroups). I wonder why that is the case. :)   
      
   >>Once invited, Amazon Vine gives you up to about $300K per year in product   
   >>that you choose, but as Chris noted, the freebies count as income to the   
   >>Feds (although you pay no sales tax and no shipping so it can net out).   
   >>    
   >   
   >  Oh, taxes. Sod that.   
      
   There are two problems with Amazon Vine imputed taxes, one of which is that   
   you pay federal and state taxes on the imputed value, but the other is that   
   many products list with an arbitrarily high MSRP on Vine because they are   
   "new" products.   
      
   The whole point of Vine is to seed (accurate) reviews for (new) products.   
      
   >>And you order whatever it is that you want to order off of Amazon Vine.   
   >   
   >  Do they do Starships? I've always wanted a Starship.   
      
   The most expensive items they have offered to me have been around 800 bucks   
   or so but most items are the same humdrum items around a hundred bucks that   
   you get offered. All the items are offered both on Amazon and on Vine.   
      
   But remember the only products that *need* reviews are those which have   
   fewer than 30 reviews (which is the Amazon Vine limit per ASIN).   
      
   >>Last year, for example, I ordered a $650 (MSRP) bike hitch for my SUV.   
   >>During the summer I ordered three 220VAC 1.75HP pool pumps for example   
   >>but Vine follows the same laws so they have to be variable speed.   
   >   
   >  That made no sense, but I suppose it's a good thing? Anyway, I'm   
   > happy for you.   
      
   Actually it makes sense. California is likely the most restrictive state in   
   the nation where plenty of products are legal in all other states.   
      
   Just as with Amazon itself, they can offer a product but restrict its sale   
   to only states that allow it. An example is rodent poisons.   
      
   >>But most of the stuff is small things like garden tools and the like.   
   >>I got a good set of knives and my wife loves to order the jewelry.   
   >>The kids tend to order baby clothes and toys for the grandchildren.   
   >   
   >  Cool.   
      
   The nice thing about having great grandchildren is that there is always a   
   toy or clothes on Amazon that the parents will like. I used to have the   
   things shipped directly from Vine to the parents but they wrote such crappy   
   reviews and took such crappy pictures that I have it shipped to me first.   
      
   Just as I often add illustrations to my Usenet posts, I often add   
   illustrations to my Amazon reviews because my goal is to edify.   
      
   An example is when a seller says something that's not quite true.   
   I make sure I point out that fib so that nobody else is blindsided.   
      
   Most of my reviews have many "helpful" ticks, so when a review of mine has   
   150 helpful ticks, I feel that I've helped 150 other people.   
      
   I feel good when I help people understand that which I easily understand.   
      
   >>Technically, you have to maintain "control" over the items for 6 months.   
   >>After that time period, you can do anything you want with what you get.   
   >   
   >  So, not entirely "free"? T's&C's apply, not valid in these regions,   
   > not valid outside of the contagious 48, only USAliens need apply,   
   > loads of other restrictions and caveats.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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