Comments on: amazon plogs

amazon plogs

mathowie — Wed, 02 Jun 2004 23:59:30 -0800

Amazon's trying out "blogging" in the form of "plogs" or ~~purchase~~ personalized logs. It appears to be the same content as your old amazon recommendations, but served up in a blog post-style format, signed by the so very intimate sounding Amazon NewReleaseBot. I can't wait until a giant like Coca Cola starts "blogs" (beverage logs) and announces new flavors complete with permalinks and weekly archives right on every can.

By: mathowie

mathowie — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 00:02:41 -0800

Here's what mine looks like. I just don't get it. Why the need to call something blogging when it's so very loosely based on the format. There's none of the personality, it's just bot-created advertising for products.

By: Kwantsar

Kwantsar — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 00:30:10 -0800

I remember this one time, when we had this thing called the internet. Some people came along and started calling it the Information Super Highway. Soon people wanted portals for everything! You wouldn't believe some of the stuff people tried to market. Online pet stores, bicycle-messenger delivery systems to the suburbs! Pick anything, and someone had a plan to hook it up to that dang ole' Information Superhighway!

By: rhyax

rhyax — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 00:37:08 -0800

"personalized blog" is stupid. stupid.

By: th3ph17

th3ph17 — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 00:55:39 -0800

probably some poor geek at amazon made a suggestion that once filtered through marketing and operations and other random departments became This.

By: gen

gen — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 01:01:38 -0800

If users could customize it, modify it, syndicate our xml feeds to it, it might be interesting. As it stands right now, it is nothing but hype... and a word that sounds a lot like "blog."

By: inksyndicate

inksyndicate — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 01:44:05 -0800

Amazon's description of the following blogs is dumb and sounds like it was written by someone in high school. "InstaPundit.com--The Blogfather Talking Points Memo by joshua micah marshall--A thoughtful contemplation of current affairs andrewsullivan.com--A respected intellectual columnist blogger" I find it amazing that Instapundit gets so many props considering he's the kind of guy who writes stuff like this.

By: nomis

nomis — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 03:03:30 -0800

I just visited Amazon today and found my 'plog' had an update on a current order. Which was actually kinda useful. But it's not a blog. It's a customer service tool, which some Amazon marketing team decided to call a 'plog' to try to show that they're hip to what the kids are reading these days.

By: yerfatma

yerfatma — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 04:05:15 -0800

Bastards. Last I heard, a plog was a project log. We can't have this muddying of the waters.

By: dabitch

dabitch — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 04:18:43 -0800

remember when weblogs were your web traffic stats? ;)

By: riffola

riffola — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 04:37:31 -0800

I sent them an email requesting RSS feeds so that I can check recommendations and track shipments via my newsreaders.

By: briank

briank — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 05:03:21 -0800

I can't wait until a giant like Coca Cola starts "blogs" (beverage logs) Not to mention when they decide to trademark that word and then start suing the ass off everyone. Although, if that would force us all to stop using the word, it might not be such a bad thing.

By: mkultra

mkultra — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 07:01:47 -0800

So pfucking plame.

By: rushmc

rushmc — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 07:11:30 -0800

I just don't get it. it's just bot-created advertising for products. You get it.

By: brownpau

brownpau — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 07:32:29 -0800

And that's not a plog. This is a plog. (Early 2003 link from the days of "vlogging," Realplayer, but worth it.)

By: kokogiak

kokogiak — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 07:51:18 -0800

Application for trademark (service mark) for the word "Plog" filed by amazon.com on January 9, 2003. Description: "Delivery of messages by electronic transmission; electronic messaging system, namely electronic queuing services; electronic transmission of messages and data; providing on-line forums for transmission of messages among computer users concerning a wide variety of topics; providing on-line electronic bulletin boards for transmission of messages among computer users concerning a wide variety of topics"

By: troutfishing

troutfishing — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 07:59:39 -0800

"Plog" = A blog which plods.

By: kokogiak

kokogiak — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:02:38 -0800

Interesting side-find: Amazon also applied to trademark "Blogcast" on June 24th of 2003.

By: prolific

prolific — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:50:30 -0800

Schwarzenegger might like 'em.

By: daver

daver — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 11:11:13 -0800

I'm actually pretty interested in the idea of finding ways to add additional detail to blogs, such as significant purchases. Of course, you probably do it already by writing about it, but from a retrospective point of view it would be cool to know what I paid more than $50 for on a particular day. Gen's RSS feed sounds interesting, 'specially if I can turn off the advertigoo from amazon...

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 12:55:26 -0800

kokogiak, i actually thought you wrote that plog-patent excerpt, and i was going commend you on your adept satire. oops.

By: dejah420

dejah420 — Thu, 03 Jun 2004 16:37:51 -0800

holy patenting nightmare....does anyone know if there's an arena by which people can protest a patent application by showing prior art?

By: kaibutsu

kaibutsu — Fri, 04 Jun 2004 01:25:06 -0800

Last week I trademarked my new site which advertises Asian alcohols. I call it 'Grog.'

By: litlnemo

litlnemo — Fri, 04 Jun 2004 03:28:02 -0800

Hold your horses, folks. It's not a patent application. It's a trademark application. They are applying to trademark the word "Plog" when used in the area of "Delivery of messages by electronic transmission", etc. They aren't trying to patent the delivery of messages by electronic transmission.

By: litlnemo

litlnemo — Fri, 04 Jun 2004 03:42:04 -0800

Hmm, I can't see my plog. Is it browser-specific, or only visible to some users? I'm using Safari and there is no plog anywhere when I browse through Amazon (and, yes, I am logged in). How do I get it to show up?

By: dejah420

dejah420 — Fri, 04 Jun 2004 08:32:34 -0800

Hold your horses, folks. It's not a patent application. It's a trademark application. Woops. You are correct sir (or madame as the case may be.) I shall not gird my loins for war then. ;)

By: litlnemo

litlnemo — Sat, 05 Jun 2004 03:39:46 -0800

That would be madame, last time I checked... ;)

By: kindall

kindall — Thu, 17 Jun 2004 10:32:58 -0800

Amazon also applied to trademark "Blogcast" on June 24th of 2003. Dammit! I knew I should have kept that domain.