Amazon.com spamming

POSTED BY: Username2
UPDATED: Friday, March 10, 2006 03:49
VIEWED: 8587
PAGE 1 of 4

1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE

USERNAME2

Friday, March 3, 2006 7:23 AM

Hey there.

In anticipation of being flamed, deleted, or relegated to the Troll board, I just want to start off by saying that I'm not trolling. I really like Serenity, and I am a happy owner of the Firefly DVD set.

My opinion of Firefly as a series is that it was cancelled while still in its infancy; in other words, it wasn't fully developed as it was. It needed more time to really get in the groove, just as Buffy did. Does anyone think Buffy's first season was its best? I certainly don't, and I think that would've applied to Firefly as well if it'd had more time. Unfortunately, that's all it has to show for itself, and I think it could've ended up being a lot better. It was a show with promise.

Because of this, I wrote a 3-star review of the DVD set on Amazon.com. I noticed before writing that the set had a 5-star rating, which is quite a rarity on that site, especially considering the set has over 2000 reviews... also quite a rarity on Amazon.com. So I immediately figured there's some kind of review-writing campaign to try to draw attention to the series, which is understandable given the sad story of its cancellation.

I also noticed, about three days after my review was posted, I already had five "Not Helpful" votes against me. And here's where my issue comes in... my review was not negative, and I actually encouraged people to buy the set if they liked the movie. I also said I'd love a Serenity II. Anyone who read my review should've understood that I wasn't slamming the series in any way - I just acknowledged that the show as it was had faults. I also said it had loads of potential. Heck, I wish there were more episodes to watch!

I don't know if people are automatically voting "Not Helpful" on reviews that aren't 5 stars or what, but you're not doing anyone any favors if that's what's happening. If anything, it threatens to alienate the people who aren't über-fans and possibly even turn them against the cause.

BITTERBIERCE

Friday, March 3, 2006 7:47 AM

Speaking as a FF fan, I cannot imagine being more neutral on that story. Ok, you gave it three stars. A couple people didn't cotton to it. Excuse me, a grand total of five. Well. Um. Say, I hear askaninja is pretty funny!

USERNAME2

Friday, March 3, 2006 8:07 AM

And I'm speaking as another FF fan. If you really don't get what I'm saying, go to Amazon.com and look up reviews that got less than 5 stars and said anything slightly negative about the show. Look how many "Not Helpful" votes they get, compared to the hundreds of "Helpful" votes given to people who give the show 5 stars, even if they hardly say anything about it aside from "Wow that was the best show ever! Shame on you Fox for cancelling it!" What's funnier is that many of these reviews are obviously by people who keep making new accounts just to review the show.

It's just ridiculous, and it makes fans of the show look silly and desperate. And hey, maybe some of you are - I've been silly and desperate about things I liked being taken away from me, so I don't fault anyone from that. Just be careful who you're attacking. I don't give much of a crap about getting Not Helpful votes, it's just the principle of you (the general "you," not you, BitterBierce) going around giving them just because some people who like the show don't like it quite as much as you do.

I'm just saying that you guys run the risk of pushing less intense fans away. If that's what you want, great. But I have a feeling you don't.

Make of this post what you will. If your response is any indication, I suppose I'll be made fun of by a couple people and ignored by the rest. So whatever. Feel free to prove me wrong.

SIGMANUNKI

Friday, March 3, 2006 8:30 AM

I'm terribly sorry for saying this, but coming here and telling us about a review, not even know if anyone here did what you say was so unjustified, is rather trollish.

If you weren't trolling, then you wouldn't have even brought it up. You would've just let it go.

But, then again, why are you keeping track of a review? Do you think so highly of yourself that you want to make sure that your review stays on top?

Seriously. For those that come after this, just let the thread die. Don't let this guy fool you. It has "I'm trying to pick a fight" written all over it.

EDIT: Check his profile. He registered here just to post this. 'nuf said

----
"We're in a giant car heading into a brick wall at 100 miles/hr and everybody's arguing about where they want to sit."
-David Suzuki

NUCLEARDAY

Friday, March 3, 2006 12:20 PM

aww, give the guy a break. There's likely more than a few 'coats that'll jump on anyone that puts forth what can be construed as a negative opinion of the 'verse. (Thinking also of the recent debacle with the Sore Thumbs web-comic...)

Not having read your review, can't say much one way or the other on you getting the "not helpfuls." You do have a point, though, about the potential of the show. Most sci-fi's never really hit their stride or accumulate their fanbase until season 2.

I think the last thing we want is to turn people off of the fanbase, though. On the other hand, it's easy to get on the defensive at times, too. 'Coats are among the underdogs of sci-fi geekdom, after all. (Which is why we're cooler, we have that whole "underground/ counterculture" thing going for us. :)

________________________________________________
You can take my hope when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

BITTERBIERCE

Friday, March 3, 2006 5:32 PM

So what? There are nutters in everything. Just ignore 'em, they're people with troubles. I don't even understand how people can put more than fifty words about it, much less write term papers like these people.

Ok! Some people are kinda nuts. This isn't news.

Seriously, askninja is hysterical. You should watch it.

KAELE

Friday, March 3, 2006 5:58 PM

I certainly don't expect everyone to love this 'verse as much as I do. And I wouldn't be worried too much about your review being helpful or not. You posted your opinion, they posted their reaction to your opinion. I'm sure that if your review is as well written as your post, that it was more than passable. But not everyone has to agree with you or feel that what you said is correct or helpful.

I personally don't feel like I have to agree with anyone. Call it my stubborn streak, but those Alliance goons won't make me into a carbon copy.

And perhaps you're wrong about people spamming Amazon. Looking at the membership of this website as it is and how just today within five minutes I saw just as many people join...I find it not at all surprising that there would be so many reviews. Thousands are here on this website alone. And we're just one of many.

Look at how we hit the SciFi channel's poll. One mention and the recruitment call goes out. The word is spread. It doesn't take much for things to crawl through this community. It may be large but it's a well-connected spiderweb. And it is a very ACTIVE community.

Sometimes I think Joss doesn't deserve us...LOL He could though if he gave us another Firefly series, I'm thinkin'. A COMPLETE series.

~Kaele

DAVESHAYNE

Friday, March 3, 2006 6:12 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Username2:
I don't know if people are automatically voting "Not Helpful" on reviews that aren't 5 stars or what, but you're not doing anyone any favors if that's what's happening. If anything, it threatens to alienate the people who aren't über-fans and possibly even turn them against the cause.

Not speaking for anybody else but I personally don't find 3 star reviews particularly helpfull. If I'm looking to purchase a product I want to hear from people who really like it or really hate it. I want to know what it has that's worth raving about as well as what people have to say about how it totally blows. The 'sort of like it maybe' type of review isn't usually gonna tell me enough to be worthwhile when I'm making a decision to purchase.

For the record I also rate Firefly as a 5. I love it not just in spite of what some perceive as it's flaws but because of them.

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

GRIMJACK21502

Friday, March 3, 2006 6:12 PM

Sigmanunki & Daveshayne I'm with you.

I respect everybody's opinion especially the neutral/negative ones (since they tend to be the most illuminating and helpful for one's personal growth ).

BUT

Last time I checked this was Fireflyfans.net NOT Amazon.com. You're targeting the wrong boogey Maverick.

Example: I trick out a Honda Civic and drive to a local mall. While shopping, somebody keys "Poser" on the hood of my, in my eyes, beautiful car. I walk back into the mall and start screaming at the patrons of Orange Julius blaming them for the keying. The logic: I parked at the mall, a shopper must have keyed my car, Orange Julius patrons are shoppers, hence Orange Julius patrons keyed my car.

...stupid example (my bad), poor assumption (your bad)

We will hold...we hold till Mal gets back.

"And once you're gone, you can never come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black"
-Neil Young

SIMONWHO

Friday, March 3, 2006 6:15 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Username2:
Hey there.

In anticipation of being flamed, deleted, or relegated to the Troll board, I just want to start off by saying that I'm not trolling. I really like Serenity, and I am a happy owner of the Firefly DVD set.

I give your post 3 out of 5. You're obviously in your infancy and although youd potential, you were killed by Foxes before it could be reached. I hope you have a sequel.

1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE