Borders + Yahoo
Occasionally, I try to solve the business world's problems, and if I can stick it to Amazon at the same time, well, that's all right with me.
Last night, I was seething --as I often do-- about the problem of certain Yahoogroups that persistently infringe copyright, and that YAHOO refuses to remove despite the OCILLA issues. However, writers, authors, readers all love Yahoogroups.
We booklovers love Yahoogroups! If only Yahoo saw the competitive advantage in being ethical!
Copyright infringement is a huge and growing problem. Facebook, Twitter, Google follow the law, more or less, but they are not exactly proactive about it.
What if readers could trust that "IF IT IS ON YAHOO, IT IS LEGAL"? (This isn't the case right now, but it could be. Authors would be delighted to help Yahoo clean up the few rotters among its groups, if it wanted to do so.)
Amazon doesn't allow freelance authors to give away free e-books and free novellas on Amazon's DTP platform. Yahoo could. Why doesn't Yahoo look into it? "IF IT IS ON YAHOO, IT IS LEGAL".
Borders is another company that, from a stock market perspective, appears to be struggling. It, too, is a 'ME TOO'.
But, what if Borders and Yahoo got together?
Yahoo has the platforms and the booklovers yahoogroups, and the languishing search engine, and the Yahoo Answers. Borders still has the bookstores, and the contacts with publishers, and the name, and the good will, and the payment structure.
Do you think that a Borders-Yahoo match-up could provide real competition for AMAZON?
Borders+Yahoo could be a rival for Amazon and Shelfari, and EBay/PayPal.
Borders+Yahoo could transform the bricks and mortar stores into fantastic, book-related internet cafes, and if they worked with NCR, they could do download/POD right there in the stores, and avoid enriching the Post Office.
What do you think?
Six Things Writers Need To Stop Worrying About
-
Some things don't change.
When I got my start in this biz, way back in 2002, writers had to get a lit
agent to get a publisher, then they did what their pu...
5 years ago
Posts
4 comments:
Hey Rowena -- personally, to me, sounds like one option to an HEA I appreciate the support everyone gives our company & to know how fondly you all hold Borders in your esteem really gives me warm fuzzies. Romance Authors are the BEST! Much thanks & great post :)
I love my local Borders stores. There aren't enough of them.
All around the internet on international booklover sites, I see complaints that books and ebooks are simply not available, or not available at US prices in their countries.
Borders has a foothold in Europe. I don't see why Borders couldn't solve many of the problems that drive foreign book lovers to pirate sites.
If Borders had an arrangement with Yahoo, every Yahoo group could have Buy The Book links to Borders (instead of to Amazon, for instance).
Hah! Way to go Borders. I see that Borders is the top link for buying certain books on Goodreads.
Hi Rowena,
Sounds like a very sensible idea to me, that's why I doubt that they will ever follow it up.
Regards
Margaret
Post a Comment