September 26, 2004 22:27 | Bits / Social / WebBlogging

A9 leveraging Amazon

Shopping on Amazon to "cash in" a gift certificate, I notice an awkwardly shoehorned ad at the top...

Amazon_A9.gif

*click*

Boris, since you've been using A9.com recently, virtually everything at Amazon.com is automatically an additional π/2% (1.57%) off for you. Collecting this discount is zero effort on your part. It will be applied automatically at checkout (it will happen whether you use the shopping cart or our 1-Click Shopping®). You don't need to do anything to get this discount except keep using A9.com as your regular search engine.

Sweet! Suckers! I just checked it out once or twice really... ;)

We don't advertise this additional discount that we give in exchange for using A9.com, so if you want your friends to know about it, please tell them. It is probably the only way they'll find out. All they have to do is use A9.com as their regular search engine. They should make sure they are signed in to A9.com (it should be recognizing them by name) so that we can be certain they get credit for their visit.

Suuuuure

While the π/2% discount is a good additional reason to use A9.com it isn't the best reason. A9.com licenses its web search results from the industry leader Google, and then supplements those results with Amazon's Search Inside the Book™ results. The coolest feature is that A9.com keeps track of your search history for you on the server side. To see how this works, do some A9 searches from your computer at work and then sign in to A9.com from your computer at home.

Wow! Like frikkin magic! Hahahahaha!

How can we afford this additional π/2% discount?

Pray tell!!

Sponsored links revenue -from the small text-based ads on A9.com and Amazon.com search results pages -will help offset costs we incur through the Rewards promotion. With our automatic π/2% discount, we are effectively sharing with you some of the money we collect from sponsored links, i.e. sharing the pi.

Pfffffaaahahaha... Zing! Right over my head! Whatever! Give me my 1.57% off you stingy bastards.

Please use A9.com and tell your friends.

Ummm. NO. Oops. i just did...

Thank you

No, no, please! Thank YOU.


Now if only there were some way I could get a cut of everything you all may buy because of this post...

;)

Comments
Sun, Sep 26, 2004, @ 23:28
1- A9's evil twin

> The coolest feature is that A9.com keeps track of your search history for you on the server side.

"Now this feature should be right about useless to you, but we get really excited associating your name and personal data with all your searches and even what you read and listen to.
Don't go thinking this is some sort of intrusion into your privacy, we really won't tell anyone [except our partners, click here to download the list (5MB)].

Oh and remember, please don't tell anyone BUT your friends."


Sun, Sep 26, 2004, @ 23:58
2- Boris Anthony

Hah!
Actually I have to disagree with you on one point: a history of my google search is VERY valuable to me, especially if it prioritizes "new" searches against results I clicked through to before. Why? Because instead of bookmarking stuff, I, as apparently many people, just re-search Google for what I want to get to. Sometimes, i don't remember the exact search string I used, if at all. This would also prevent me from having to dig through my "search history", which they provide.

If they opened up an an API, it'd be the ultimate personal/private del.icio.us really. I don't have to "tag" anything, I just have to click through! ;)