Amazon takes cue from eBay, asks customers directly for book reviews

One of the biggest strengths of Amazon over its biggest e-commerce rivals like, eBay and BN.com, has always been its automated book recommendations, the vast amount of product information it displays, and customer reviews.

Realizing this gap, eBay this year has begun paying people to write book reviews on its site.

It looks like Amazon wants to stay in the lead. Twice in the past week I've gotten e-mails asking me to write a customer review, the first time Amazon has ever prompted me to write a book review:

From: "Amazon.com"
Subject: Review your recent purchases at Amazon.com!

Thank you for your recent purchases from Amazon.com.

We invite you to submit a review for the products you purchased. Your input will help other customers choose the best products and help Amazon.com continually improve the customer experience.

It's easy to submit a review--just click the Review this product button next to the product.

The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories from Authors and the Editors, Agents, and Booksellers Behind Them (Purchased on 08/31/2006)

Lumiscope 204-008 Dual Head Stethoscope (Purchased on 08/14/2006)