PurpleCar

The Fattening of America is written by economist Eric Finklestein. The book outlines the behaviors and policies behind obesity in America from an economist’s view. I personally wish he delved into the corn subsidies more deeply (it was almost as if he was afraid to broach the subject!), but it’s still a very well-referenced book with tons of information that may just change your perspective on healthcare, government and fat people. The author utilizes his obese “Uncle Al” as an example of a “ultility maximizing” person who is truly just making economical decisions that result in his obesity.

Sometimes my eyes dulled over at the sheer amount of info in this book, but mostly the author is funny, hip, engaging and insightful. The book is definitely germane to the current healthcare debate, and is a must-read for anyone who would like to argue both sides intelligently. The references are top-notch and most are searchable on the Internet. We all really need to know where the money is truly going. Take a look at this book and be amazed.

Tags: book review, how is the book, review

Why I Won’t Write Reviews on Amazon Again

The RSS of alerts on my online content from FairShare usually stays pretty quiet. Even when another site uses my content and a new alert is generated, 99% of the time a link back to my blog accompanies the post.  Even then, the post isn’t a full copy but a summary and a link. I have no problem with this, as I license my content under a Creative Commons copyright.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, here’s a 3-step process on how a blogger can protect the words she writes from being plagiarized or stolen.

1st: a blogger visits the Creative Commons website and picks which type of copyright she wants. I’ve chosen the copyright that allows other people to re-post my content, as long as they link back to me or give me credit and they don’t use my work to make money.  They can’t sell my work or use it to sell other things, even if they do link back to me.

2nd: the blogger downloads the graphic and puts it on every page of her blog.  Mine looks like this:

3rd: the blogger uses various web applications to send alerts via RSS or email whenever her content shows up somewhere on the Internet.  I use FairShare to look after all my content and Google alerts to look after various keywords, including my name and blog name.  When someone uses my content, those alerts will fire me an RSS update or an email, respectively.

That’s the basic way to keep track of where your work ends up online.

When I get an alert, I immediately investigate. If everything looks OK and within the terms of the Creative Commons copyright, I leave it be. About 99% of the alerts fall within what’s called “Fair Use.” In other words, the other site that borrows my content links back to my blog, giving me credit, and the site isn’t covered in ads or selling any products.

Today I started my RSS reader and found an alert from FairShare that was in that 1%.

FairShare showed me the site New and Used Books, where my review of NurtureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman was listed under the ad for the book. I was not credited. The full review was posted, not a partial clip. There was no link back to the Amazon site where I had posted my review, there was no link back to my blog. No link at all. And they were using my review (albeit a non-favorable one) to sell the book.
This is when I send a “cease & desist” letter. Basically, a cease & desist is a letter that says, “Please link to me or remove this content immediately. You are violating my copyright.” In other words, somebody owes me money or credit, and if you don’t delete my content from your site, you must pay me.

NewandUsedbooks is still violating my copyright because they are using my words to sell a book, but even that I could let go if they just linked to me or to my Amazon review (which links to my blog).

Here is my email to Newandusedbooks.com. It is a typical cease & desist email that I write:

“You have used my content and are violating copyright. Please either remove my book review or give me the link credit to my blog. You have taken the online reviews from Amazon.com but have not linked to that either.  I will be forwarding a copy of this message to Amazon.com.

Here is the link to your page where you violate my copyright:

http://newandusedbooks.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=zmore&manu=Twelve&prodGroup=Book&item_ASIN=0446504122&author=Po%20Bronson&SubscriptionId=0JN0QHH0QAG4YVY4FY02

Here are the first few phrases of my review:

‘Conservative agenda by non-scientists.: (2009-09-20)

New York Magazine journalists Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman team up to add commentary and more information to their articles in this new book published by Twelve, a division of the Hachette Book Group.

The last page of the book has this blurb about Twelve:’

I expect this situation to be resolved by Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009 by 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (GMT – 5).

Thank you.

Christine Cavalier
christine@purplecar.net”

Today is Sunday. I didn’t expect a quick response, but a few minutes later I received this email from newandusedbooks.com:

“Dear Ms. Cavalier,

New and Previously Owned Books is an Amazon affiliate.  We have not “copied” anything from Amazon rather as an Amazon affiliate and by contract with Amazon, we receive by automatic “download” the books, book covers, reviews, prices, availability, etc. directly from Amazon.  We do not select what reviews to post on any given book – they are downloaded from Amazon.  We cannot control what Amazon puts on their site and we cannot add to their descriptions and cannot add a link to your blog within their downloaded review.

I hope this explains where the information is coming from and alleviates your concerns.

Vickie Denney
www.ReaderToReader.com”

I wrote back immediately, but have yet to hear a response:

“Dear M. Denney,

Thank you for writing with a prompt reply.

Does your server refresh the pages often? If we remove our content from Amazon, can we conclude that it will then be removed from your site?

-Christine Cavalier
christine@purplecar.net”

Then I went and deleted all 4 of the reviews I posted to Amazon.com, despite the reviews’ good ratings and conversations they generated.

Newandusedbooks.com passed the buck to Amazon, saying that the catalog content they lease from Amazon isn’t controlled by them (or their seemingly parent company readertoreader.com). Does Amazon strip the links before they sell the content? Or does newandusedbooks.com strip the links when they post the Amazon catalog content to their site? The response I received didn’t answer these questions, and I don’t think my follow-up email will get much of a response, either.

I don’t need to pour over Amazon’s Terms of Service. I can already guess that Amazon has standard legalese that states they own the content of all reader reviews on their site. I proceeded to delete all my reviews and decided that the few links back to my profile or blog aren’t worth it. My stats never showed very many links back to my blog from Amazon, and I don’t need to spend time building up a “reputation” on Amazon as a good reviewer.

I know, I know. I’ve been blogging since 2004, I should’ve known better. I was thinking it was an even trade-off for the potential in new blog readership. I didn’t think Amazon would sell my content without at least a link back to the original content on its own site.

This is one of those situations that critics Andrew Keen, @AmandaChapel, et al., cite when they bemoan the current practice of online retailers using free content by amateurs. Readers write free reviews on Amazon and Amazon sells them along with their catalog content to book selling sites. The Publisher’s Weekly reviews are also on Amazon, but Amazon doesn’t lease out that content because Publisher’s Weekly tells Amazon they must pay for that work. The lone avid reader/blogger has no team of lawyers looking after them like that. Amazon and other sites take advantage of readers’ want for connection, or fame, or whatever misguided motivations and sell their very-marketable, worthy content for their own profit.

What do you think of this? Has this happened to you? Do you use copyright protection on your work? Let me know in the comments.

As for me, I say, “Bye-Bye, Amazon.” Now I’m going over to Goodreads.com to see if their revenue model is based on members’ free reviews.

UPDATE: 27 Sept 2009 4:39 pm: Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: blog, blogging, book, book review, Books, Media, websites, write

Book Review:  The Power of Less by Leo Babauta (Hyperion 2009)

True to its name, the Power of Less is short.  170 pages.  The non-fiction work follows the traditional how-to book formula to employ numbered lists of steps.  That’s where the commonalities with traditional how-to books end.  In an amongst the tried-and-true lists are the author’s musings about his website and its members, his own struggles, and how to use the internet to keep your life simple.  Did that last bit sound counter-intuitive?  It isn’t.  Mr. Babauta doesn’t pull punches about internet addiction and distraction, but as he is directing you toward websites, he is telling you how to rein in your unproductive internet use.  He uses the concept of Haiku to demonstrate this in the very early pages of the book.  (Too bad he didn’t use Twitter’s 140 character limit!  Same idea, though, and one that Mr. Babauta is taking seriously.)

This tiny tome definitely isn’t for back-to-nature types.  Although the Buddhist concept of mindfulness pervades the theme of the book, Mr. Babauta promotes the beauty of internet tools on almost every page.  For the most part, it works.  After reading the book, I can see how “teh.interwebz” can add some Zen to your life.  A few times, though, I felt a little over-pitched on the author’s own website.  He is obviously very proud of his online community, but multiple mentions of a website went against the single-tasking posits of the book: Why keep mentioning a website at the same time you are telling me to stay off the internet and concentrate on one thing at a time?  Also, he never mentions the beauty of hiring a personal organizer.  I hired a professional a few years ago to prepare a room for my soon-to-be-born son and I’ll never try to tackle a big clean out/organizing project on my own again.  Professional organizers are THAT worth it.

Those have to be my only complaints about The Power of Less.*  All in all, this is a good little book with some great logic in it, as well as links and suggestions on how to use today’s tools to make your life better.  A short book that combines technology advancements with wisdom of the ages is just the kind of focus that we muti-taskers need to help us calm the chaos that surrounds us online and off.

Take a look through it next time you are at the library or the bookstore.  If you take away one helpful hint (which you are very likely to do), it’ll be worth it.

*I linked to half.com because as many of you know, my husband worked for them in the very early startup days.  I know a lot of people but suprisingly, I actually don’t know the author Leo Babauta and hadn’t heard of him until I ran across The Power of Less. I wasn’t paid or compensated in any way for anything in this post.  I am never paid in any way for any post on PurpleCar.net.  PurpleCar is purely my work and my opinions.  I’ll always be honest with you — well, as much as I’m honest with myself, anyway.  I know I’m usually rougher in my book reviews, but I actually did like this book.  Go figure.

Tags: Babauta, best seller, book, book review, internet, Leo, Leo Babauta, Power of Less, simple living, websites, Zen

The book is hard to get through. It will take me weeks. So instead of one huge review months from now, I’ll just take you all along on this deciphering adventure. I’ll break out my Sword of Sense and slash through the thicket of pompous writing, chapter by chapter. It’s a journey to page 319 (the last page including after notes) of Clay Shirky’s “Here Comes Everybody.” Come along. It should prove interesting.

Tags: book review, Clay shirky, Media, non-fiction, Right-in, tone

When I picked up the book, I recognized the ‘famous’ name. I was looking forward to absorbing some insights into social media and human behavior. Instead I was hit with self-indulgent prose filled with enough buzzwords to choke an elephant.

Tags: book review, Clay shirky, Here comes everybody, Media, non-fiction, Right-in

The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Demographic Storm (Hardcover)

by Kenneth W. Gronbach

The Age Curve is a book about numbers.  Don’t worry.  The author does the math.

The author Kenneth Gronbach, a proud member of the Baby Boomer generation, outlines the numbers of live births in the US starting from the beginning of the 1900’s and ending with projected estimates in 2010.  This sounds boring, but this book is a fun read filled with anecdotes, quirky observations and the occasional easy-to-understand chart.   Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: book review, demographics, markets