The random associations of the internet are one of the things that make it so attractive to users. One never knows where one will land. Can be like a surprise gift every time you log on. Might also be what is shortening our attention spans. In just a few minutes yesterday, I happened across a sidebar "Born Today" list on a literary blog that informed me it was Umberto Eco's birthday which reminded me to check if I added in those Eco books of mine on to my Library Thing book list. I then discovered I had not added them yet but found some lists of other users' Eco lists and saw a book I had not read and do not own so I cruised over to Amazon to check if the book is currently in print/available where I typed in "Umberto Eco" and discovered these new Amazon Author Stores. Surfing is a run-on sentence.
On December 29, Amazon unveiled the beta version of approximately 2,500 individual author stores:
"Amazon Author Stores (beta) are new corners of our bookstore dedicated to offering customers a new way to browse and shop favorite authors, discover new books, and more. Today each Author Store includes a bibliography, and can include a biography, author photo, and discussion board. But stay tuned--we'll be adding more features in the months to come."
Smart. Refine your access points based upon consumer usage data generated by current Amazon functions. But Amazon search engines are genius. Could teach librarians a thing or two. Here are a couple of samples you might want to check out and see what you think.