Writing book reviews (on Amazon)

Sometimes I want to comment on a book, which I can do in different ways:

• I can write a public review on Amazon
  
• I can create a personal book list on Amazon and add very short comments
• I can make an Amazon-reading list on LinkedIn and write more
• I can write elsewhere on it, like on a blog

If I make a book list on Amazon, I have to enter the code in order to get the book on the list (which I have to look up, not very thrilling). This is probably one of the worst parts of Amazon's customer experience:

What would help me:

• use the normal amazon book page with a function "add to your lists"
• use my shopping list of books, with an feature "add comment" to the books I have read/bought
• import my lists from Amazon to LinkedIn or vice versa
• or ...
  

Does it matter much if people read reviews on blogs, LinkedIn or the amazon pages? Or do more, more usable, desirable book reviews on the web mean more "share of attention" and therefore more share of wallet for Amazon?

What do you think?

Problems for branding: fakesumption

These ideas on branding and fakes made me think (http://www.slideshare.net/TrendBuero/fakesumption):

1. fakes deliver good enough product solutions without premium price

2. strong relationships make the difference: consumers want to be personally recognized, treated exceptionally, participate in the brand

3. fakes start to innovate and customize to local market needs (and develop brand character themselves)

So the real challenge for the brand is:

How do you engage and bond with your customers instead of criminalizing them?
How do you integrate this need into your brand?
How do you cooperate(?) with fakers?

(http://www.slideshare.net/TrendBuero/fakesumption)

What do you think?

It's your taxes, stupid!

A tax declaration is probably one of the worst experiences ever:

1. It is cryptic, time consuming and makes you feel stupid. Every year.
2. It forces you to involuntarily “spend” up to 45% of your income on it (european tax %)
3. It does not give you any feedback on what is done with your money

Right now paying taxes is one of very few things people do to directly financially contribute to the common good. And we all value community (yes, we can etc.).

So why don’t we make an effort of making people feel good about their spent money?

Improving the tax payers' experience

If we could enhance the overall experience by 10%, what would that mean for involvement of people with their community and politics?

This would mean a completely different experience.

How do we get to do this?

I think it might be the best to focus on a few simple changes, which do not involve the tax declaration itself (this probably involves a lot of technical, legislative and political things which we can not address here):

1. if we could enhance the overall experience, and maybe honesty by 0,1%, how much extra revenue would that mean?

From research on priming: could one

a) use quotations of leaders with moral authority for the different constituencies?

b) personalize the letter by being signed by f.e. the president, Congress etc.?

2. If one has filed his declaration, a thank you letter would do fine. After all, I just gave away a lot of money.

3. If I get a new tax declaration, maybe

a) you can fill me in on what you achieved with it last year, so I might have some form of satisfaction.

b) But also define where still major work is needed, so I might feel inclined to feel engaged in getting those things in place.

4. one can even think of comparative information:

How would it be if paying a lot of taxes would be considered especially honorful (in stead of stupid)?

This is only a fraction of the possibilities, when will we see some changes?

Vincent

Inspired by Daniel Ariely's Post on Honesty:

Ihttp://www.predictablyirrational.com/?p=396#comments

What do you think?