I've been a fan of Amazon.com since its early days and I've watched it evolve. I was there when they started adding more than just books, movies and CDs to the offerings. I've had a wishlist online - and its been recently updated with some holiday gifts I'd like - for ages. I love that I can now add things from other sites with the universal wishlist button. I'm a member of prime (thanks to my mom) so I get free two-day shipping on almost anything I order. That means if my shopping trip this weekend is a bust, I could technically still order some gifts and they will arrive in time for Christmas. I like having that safety net.
But the other day when I logged on to search a few wishlists and look for some gifts, I was offended by what I saw. Amazon.com had actually recommended to me the "Twilight" movie. Amazon.com, how could you know me so little, after all these years?
I know the recommendations are manufactured automatically by some sort of system I will never understand that takes into account all the things I've purchased through the years, the items I've clicked on and the ones I've added to my wishlist. Sometimes the recommendations are spot on, like when I get notices about a new U2 CD coming out or books by Nick Hornby or cookbooks for things like Old-Fashioned homemade Ice-Cream.
But sometimes Amazon is just way off the mark. Some of that is because most of what I purchase through Amazon.com are gifts for other people. I get recommendations for romance novels (which I've never read in my life), thanks to my mom's reading habits. And Japanese anime, thanks to my sister's viewing habits. And there are a few other random things in the mix, for which I can forgive Amazon.
But "Twilight?" Really?
I have to confess, though, that I know exactly why the movie made its way onto my recommendation list. Before the movie even came out in theaters, I thought I ought to see what all the fuss was about. I read tons of vampire books when I was a kid - everything from "The Vampire Diaries" to "Bunicula," a book about a vampire bunny. I figured how bad could the Twilight books be, and someone my sister knew just happened to have a copy of the first book.
I read it - it was bad - but since I waded through the bazillion pages of book one, I thought I should finish the rest of the series. But alas, no one, had copies of the other three books so I order them all from Amazon. I read them all and each one got progressively worse, though I'll save my rant about what a bad message the books are for teen girls for another time. I have all the books piled up on my computer desk to donate to the library, but I haven't yet decided if I should allow the books any more circulation in the world.
So that's how Amazon.com pegged me for a Twilight fan. Perhaps if I had left scathing reviews of the books, the movie wouldn't have made it onto the list of recommendations.
But today, Amazon has come back to its senses and there is no "Twilight" to be seen. Now if only they would stop advertise the Kindle to me.
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You are missing the fact that a lot of recommendations come not only from those things you listed above, buat also from other customers that buy things you buy. And in this case said customers have also bought Twilight. Amazon gets it right most of the time, but I find the same problem pop up every now and then. I hope this clears up the randomness of recommendations for you.
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