Sunday, June 10, 2007

"Deleted by Amazon" : a new batch

A bunch of Grady Harp Voting Machine 'timetables' has just been 'deleted by Amazon'; now more consistently (meaning in more places). It happened suspiciously in sync with Harp's deleting and reposting his latest three reviews (this strange at first sight operation results in a removal of all comments). I wonder if this 'removed by Amazon' statement really means it, or some of them 'top reviewers' can do it themselves (or trigger somehow). Any ideas, observations?

19 comments:

Misfit said...

I'm thinking they are fighting back harder. In Grady's case, probably all of his Amazon friends who vote for him are reporting comments as inappropriate. Enough complaints, they'll delete the comments. They (Amazon) might look at the tables as spam.

Funny he'd delete his reviews and repost just to get rid of the comments.

Malleus said...

Well, it's my guess. But is there any other way to remove comments cleanly -- that is, w/o the 'removed by Amazon' remainder -- in the thread?

> Enough complaints, they'll
> delete the comments.
You think that's how it works? Could be... and that would explain the events, of course.

Malleus said...

Barb got wiped out as well (in Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds). Hmmm... I can't remember what was there that deserved a wipeout. I suspect you're right, Misfit, and comments removals happen simply based on the number of the 'report-this' clicks. Grady has seventy of those. It would be nice to test this...

Misfit said...

"It would be nice to test this... "

I think we should do just that, and I know where to start. Follow me?

Malleus said...

Do we have enough firepower? :-)

Misfit said...

We'll find out, won't we?

Misfit said...

Well, at least one inappropriate comment has been deleted.

All, in addition to clicking on the report abuse button, you can email Amazon about comments you feel are not appropriate. Lower right hand corner of your screen, choose help department and then option to send email. Follow the steps they give you, and make sure to send them the link, and maybe a quotation of the specific item you are concerned about.

Stephanie said...

I'll back you. Just give me the link.

Misfit said...

See if this works,

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contact-us/general-questions.html/002-5252214-5336844?ie=UTF8&browse%5Fnode%5Fid=508510&jsEnabled=

Misfit said...

Has anyone noticed how many of Barbara's comments on recent HK reviews have been removed by Amazon? What's up with that? Of all of us, I think Barbara has been the most careful to stay within guidelines. Thoughts?

scotdog98 said...

Not really sure Amazon has any clear cut guidelines.

Several of us have been booted off.

Barbara needs a new really cool name to start fresh!

Sandra D?

Misfit said...

"Sandra D"

LOVE IT!!

Malleus said...

Yeah, there's a major cleanup under way there. I don't believe for a second it's done by Amazon (deliberately, that is). It's got to be done by the Harp Voting Machine via the 'report-this' button. They don't like them little neato time-tables. I wonder why they dislike them so much if the votes are legitimate :-) What a bunch of idiots, their actions speak against them more effectively than their bs protects them.

Anyway... we'll figure someting out in order to keep those tables safe. Christ, I don't have the time to do it really scientifically, with daily statistics and so on. Easy to do, but no time. Bummer. Well, maybe in the future...

Barbara Delaney said...

I read the guidelines and adhered to them strictly. I never used a person's name and slandered them as has been done to me. I never posted sexual material. My comments always had something to do with the reviews and or books. My account has been closed.

I did receive an email filled with self-congratulatory taunts. They said they used the "power of the group" to have me banned. I forwarded the email to amazon.

I decided to give the contest winner her choice of gift certificates. The last thing I wanted to do at this point was to spend money at amazon. I'm happy to say she chose Barnes and Noble and her gift certificate is winging its way through cyberspace as we speak. Congratulations!!

Malleus said...

> They said they used the "power
> of the group" to have me banned.

:-) There you go, a bunch of geniuses. You'd think if someone did this 'power of the group' thing, they'd at least keep quiet about doing it. But no, they have to 'triumph' publicly. Cretins.

> I forwarded the email to amazon.
Very good. Now we'll see what happens.

Stephanie said...

Didn't they say that everyone is 'allowed' to voice their own opinions?? Since Barbara never said anything inappropriate or negative towards anyone ( except HK ) then why would they use the 'power of the group' to have her banned? And WHO exactly thinks they are the Amazon police? I believe FTF, ZENA and MM think they are, yet I am sure they are in denial about it. HYPOCRITES!

Misfit said...

I am just stunned that Barbara's comments are being deleted. Of any of the commenters (and not just this group), she has stayed within the guidelines, not attacking the author or the book. I can't believe they could have found something so inappropriate in them as to remove them. Let alone some of the downright vicious and nasty comments made by other commenters that are still standing.

I will miss those comments a great deal, and I am sorry about such a nasty email being sent. Besides sending it to Amazon Barbara, have you reported it as offensive/threatening? If you can look at your email headers and find the IP address, there are search engines that will tell you who the IP provider is and report it to them. It's very easy.

Misfit said...

For the record, since we are being quoted and misinterpreted. There is no attack intended upon any particular person, at least on my part.

However, I am furious that Barbara's comments, of which I have never seen anything remotely inappropriate, are being removed due to mass reporting, yet I see several posters who are consistently negative, hostile, filled with vulgar and offensive language (remember folks, kids could come across this by accident) and downright abusive yet their comments remain.

Is it so wrong to report those comments as offensive?

Malleus said...

No, nothing wrong with that. What would be wrong, is to arrange a posse (sufficient in numbers) and then go and delete-by-Amazon the comments left by someone else, based not on the comments' inappropriate (as defined by Amazon) content, but on the personal dislike of the commenter.