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Sunday, April 15, 2012

Social Review Site Goodreads Dumps Amazon's Metadata

Amazon has made its metadata - information on a book's title, author, publisher, etc. - available to others - but all most agree to Amazon's terms.

Until recently, Goodreads relied on Amazon book information for basic metadata on titles. This arrangement allowed Goodreads access to cover art on books as well. However, Goodreads decided that Amazon's restrictive API agreements--not allowing for use of Amazon data on mobile apps and the inability of linking to competing bookstores--made the continuing relationship untenable. Goodreads noted to the PaidContent blog that its "goal is to be an open place for all readers to discover and buy books from all retailers, both online and offline." Amazon's API was actually developed for affiliate marketers in order to allow them to feature books on their websites, driving referral sales to Amazon--and Amazon alone. Restrictions that might work for other booksellers weren't working for this social book networking site.

As we move to more social forms of book recommendation and review systems, these issues of access will continue. In Goodreads case, they have switched to Ingram for data.

Goodreads noted to the PaidContent blog that its "goal is to be an open place for all readers to discover and buy books from all retailers, both online and offline." Amazon's API was actually developed for affiliate marketers in order to allow them to feature books on their websites, driving referral sales to Amazon--and Amazon alone. Restrictions that might work for other booksellers weren't working for this social book networking site.

For more about this, see my news blog posting at Information Today.

Your thoughts?

7 comments:

  1. This is definitely good news for the readers and I am sure that everyone appreciates!

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  2. Greetings That's a very interesting article you've posted. Thank you!

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  3. Great content it reminds me of Albert Einstein, Success is always in front of us we just have to see the signs.
    Thanks John

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  4. Honest competition finally favors users, readers around the world. Greetings from Chile.

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  5. Good you brought this up. I am kindle publisher and I could'nt get these things optimized. How are people supposed to buy..! :(
    - E. Vitaly
    http://mlmguru.info

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