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You misunderstood, OP isn't complaining that there are amazon affiliate links or that this site is trying to make money. They're pointing out that only product

by nend 4y ago

You misunderstood, OP isn't complaining that there are amazon affiliate links or that this site is trying to make money. They're pointing out that only products that are sold on amazon, are being aggregated. So the web app isn't fulfilling the claim of "listing Reddit's favorite products", but instead they are listing "Reddit's favorite products that are sold on amazon". Which causes such issues that another commenter pointed out, there are no ThinkPad laptop models listed as a favorite product for /r/laptops.

pvillano 4y ago
Many useful recommendations can't be bought at all. My recommended pan is any antique cast iron, my recommended antidepressant is exercise, my recommended boat is don't get a boat. These options are part of what makes going to Reddit better than a retailer for reviews
- Night_Thastus 4y ago
  Have clinical depression? Just jog! (Not that anyone should be going to Reddit for medical advice/prescription recommendations, though) Agree with the boat though, excepting those that have obscene amounts of cash burning in their pockets.
- BoorishBears 4y ago
  These sound like great examples of the noise you get on Reddit and back up OP's approach in my eyes. If I ask for antidepressant recommendations I want something with an Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Code of N06, not some glib remark about exercise. It's great exercise can help you feel better, but antidepressant has a very specific meaning. If I ask for recommendations for a boat, I want something that floats in water, not some glib remark about how boats sink money. Yes boats a very expensive, but I'd ask "should I get a boat" if I was that early in the decision making process And an "antique cast iron" is a very vague criteria and will lead to a goose chase, where as recommending a basic Lodge that will do the same job for 99% of the population without throwing them in the deep end of learning how to strip and season a 50 year old pan from scratch
deanc 4y ago
This is not true. The first page I checked was a bicycle subreddit and the top bike was a specialized bike. They don’t sell on Amazon.
mwexler 4y ago
Fair point, but it still highlights the issue that bugs me: the reason why they are amazon only is to pay for the site. If there was a business model that supported this aggregation without pay-for-traffic, I bet we'd see a lot more products from a lot more potential sources. BTW, not saying that no model can exist (subscriptions, whatever) but that most implementations appear to fail out and leave us with affiliate links. But yeah, I jumped over the main point.

by nend 4y ago

pvillano 4y ago

Many useful recommendations can't be bought at all. My recommended pan is any antique cast iron, my recommended antidepressant is exercise, my recommended boat is don't get a boat. These options are part of what makes going to Reddit better than a retailer for reviews

Night_Thastus 4y ago
Have clinical depression? Just jog! (Not that anyone should be going to Reddit for medical advice/prescription recommendations, though) Agree with the boat though, excepting those that have obscene amounts of cash burning in their pockets.
BoorishBears 4y ago
These sound like great examples of the noise you get on Reddit and back up OP's approach in my eyes. If I ask for antidepressant recommendations I want something with an Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Code of N06, not some glib remark about exercise. It's great exercise can help you feel better, but antidepressant has a very specific meaning. If I ask for recommendations for a boat, I want something that floats in water, not some glib remark about how boats sink money. Yes boats a very expensive, but I'd ask "should I get a boat" if I was that early in the decision making process And an "antique cast iron" is a very vague criteria and will lead to a goose chase, where as recommending a basic Lodge that will do the same job for 99% of the population without throwing them in the deep end of learning how to strip and season a 50 year old pan from scratch

deanc 4y ago

This is not true. The first page I checked was a bicycle subreddit and the top bike was a specialized bike. They don’t sell on Amazon.

mwexler 4y ago

Fair point, but it still highlights the issue that bugs me: the reason why they are amazon only is to pay for the site. If there was a business model that supported this aggregation without pay-for-traffic, I bet we'd see a lot more products from a lot more potential sources. BTW, not saying that no model can exist (subscriptions, whatever) but that most implementations appear to fail out and leave us with affiliate links. But yeah, I jumped over the main point.