@kzimmermann Well Amazon is pretty much enemy number one to ethical consumers and Amazon's competition is struggling. So I'm more bothered by everyone being sent to Amazon than about competitors doing the same tracking. It's a good point though.. I noticed reviews tend not to mention the negatives & I figured it was just a lazy/incompetent reviewer. But the kickback makes it all more clear.
@resist1984 looking at the link, you can tell if it is Amazon associate link. If it is, then yes they get a percentage of sale. Bloggers got to eat to.
@DavidB I would be useful if there were a search engine for product/service reviews that would down-rank results with those kind of links.
@DavidB Such a search engine would naturally root out the /professional/ reviewers, and let the more meaningful reviews (from consumers) rise to the top.
@resist1984 I'm not liking all the paid reviews in SERP either. They are a problem on Amazon itself, too. Forums seem to be the best way to find unbiased info on a product/service.
Yes, probably they are lazy, combined with not understanding that there is any problem.
Laziness and ignorance hand in hand, together forming a powerful force leading us all to a not-so-bright future. 😕
@resist1984 Probably both.
@resist1984 I often refer to wirecutter for reviews of things I'm interested in buying. They will often give affiliate links to other sources to buy the thing. Even if you don't buy it from their link, I still find it useful to have a make/model number
@obsolete29 what's that? wirecutter.com redirects to nytimes.com
@resist1984 Yeah, they used to be their own outfit but were absorbed by nytimes, I think. I use it more for household type items really but I find a lot of their tech recommendations aren't bad.
@resist1984 I like their webcam recommendation... VPN and password managers are good too.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-webcams/
@resist1984 neither coincidental or laziness: it's #AffiliateMarketing.
Every click stores a cookie in your browser and if you complete any purchase on Amazon within 24h after clicking that link, they gain a 10-15% commission on the sale.
That's why almost all "reviews" of such products say amazing things about it. They could care less about the product, they only want you to goddamn buy it already.
Sadly, it's not just Amazon. Lots of platforms do these affiliates nowadays...