Neyer and Amazon

Here's an interesting story from Rob Neyer on Amazon.com and the complicated world of Amazon reviews. I think he'd be suprised at how many reviews out there are from relatives, friends, etc. Having written five computer books I can attest that sometimes the bad reviews are unrelated to the content of the book and instead reflect a bias against the company you work for or the technology itself. Amazon has in the past taken down some of those reviews when asked but has left others up without explanation.

In Neyer's case it sounds like he was trying to do the right thing. Now he knows better.