Written Amazon reviews aren't pretty enough in the age of Pinterest. Customer Images are the new way to discover portable potties, unicorn masks, and bunny jackets.
But we're all about Pinterest, Instagram, Photoset, and picture apps that let us express ourselves in images now. Amazon, it turns out, is way ahead of the curve here--and we may have discovered the service's potential pivot. Lurking a few clicks in on a large number of its e-commerce treasures is a feature called Customer Images. It's not new. But given its subtle presence, it might be new to you. What you've more likely never realized is that it's a semi-secret treasure trove of user-generated, sharable moments that just happen to involve props you can buy. Here are some of our favorites.
For those reading this story in the year 2032, before The Lord Supreme Mitt II and the Romney Fraternal Dynasty brought about a lasting peace and benevolent absolute rule upon this planet we call BainEarth(TM), foolish people once tried to make what was then called a "meme" out of a progressive, insightful glorious comment by the All Powerful Prophet Lord Dr. General Mitt Romney The First, a remark made in what was then known as a "debate" in the dark times of The Great Satan Hussein Obama. The words were "a binder full of women." It has sense gone on to mean the luxurious and most gracious accommodations afforded to unwed mothers, free of charge, courtesy of the Mitt Dynasty Administration. Can you believe there was a time when people went to such great lengths to make fun of the idea?! [ Source] [ Source]
Again with the Romney. Honestly? Look at this face. It totally doesn't look real. The teeth are too perfect. The smile looks Photoshopped. The hair looks plastic. The mask is dead on, though. [ Source]
In the interest of equal time ... Wait, are you thinking what I'm thinking? Supergroup! Romney on skins. Barry on the lute. Ah-one. Two. Ah-one, two, three, four! [ Source]
"[Name omitted] never seems to mind just where he uses his new potty so long as it isn't a public bathroom stall," writes the Amazon user we hope is the parent of this future middle school wedgie recipient, who will, at least on our site, go nameless. We wish this lil grunt's parents were the only ones squeezing off shots of their kids dropping their kids off at the proverbial portable pool. Sadly this is but one in a several similar images. Hey, wait. I recognize the roadside spot pictured here. It's a dump! [ Source]
"Little known fact," says Amazon user Nappy "Nappy" "Nappy" from York, PA, "Unicorns love Vans." Perseus is totally loaded, passed out in the back. The band on the stereo? Wings. [ Source] [ Source]
Bro. We fully rocked Bongzilla at two of the last three DMB shows, and we CRUSHED it at the county fair. We saw someone with a seven-tube version, but when they tried to use it, a hole tore open in the time-space continuum and they folded infinitely inside themselves until there was nothing left. Whooo!! [ Source]
Key to understanding the hilarity in this the set of mostly adorable wabbit shots is that they're the "before" versions of the "after" products being sold on Amazon by a person we presume is Glenn Close's bunny-boiling character from Fatal Attraction. Or the worst. Magician. Ever. [ Source] [ Source]
Of course there are plenty of ways to enjoy your rabbit that don't involve digestion. Perhaps it would like to cruise or be cruised in this shiny blue leather jackrabbit jacket. "Fits nice but barely fits my holland lop. He's an exception though because he's overweight ... this is my dwarf," writes Customer Image uploader "crawdaddy." No, don't stop, go on! [ Source]
... And if bunny's tired, kitty's surely eager for a workout! Writes this photo-sharing user: "Let your cat enjoy the outdoors in safety" ... without the stress of ever having to meet or like a companion in its owner's lonely life, that is. The marketing genius that naughtily named this product clearly has a cruel sense of humor. [ Source] [ Source]
We've all been there. Blown a mile out to sea by an explosion. Stranded. Clinging desperately to the set of hulking, matching wooden trunks that, when you first agreed to throw yourself into a volcano on the Island of Waponi-Woo, seemed like an indulgence. And while you were able to bind those trunks together and fashion yourself a life raft, the raft is hardly maneuverable, and, holy Christ here comes a massive container ship! What to do?! Cap'n John W. Trimmer has 112 pages worth of answers--in the second edition of the wildly popular 1982 original. (No, lots has changed.) Or, you could save yourself $507.52 (at post time) and 111 pages of effort and follow the supplemental diagram provided by Amazon Customer Image uploader Lisa Krause. [ Source]
When he's not collecting art (see: wall), Amazon Customer Image uploader S. PAULSON "sociallyskilled "sociallyskilled" is a semi-professional maker of cat-flight art in his own right. Just a typical friday night here. A dude. A laptop. A beanbag chair. And a two-part, easily storable feather pole for giving his furry felines "Da Bird." [ Source] [ Source]
Apple no longer supports this shirt. For a host of breathtaking new features, please download the "Three Mountain Lion" shirt. [ Source] [ Source] [ Source]
Martha! Some Tuscan's hawking his milk on Amazon again! And the damn wolves won't shut up about it! (We did not Photoshop and upload this ourselves.) [ Source]
Feel comfortable buying Facebook Likes or Twitter followers? The practice is becoming more and more accepted, and fake social media ratings and reviews could hit 10 to 15 percent by 2014, according to research company Gartner.
It may sound obvious, but people tend to trust those most like them and also people they know in real life. That partly explains why many people don't trust what they read when it comes to Amazon.com reviews, for example. However, people do trust websites that have lots of reviews.
A May 2012 online survey of 2,000 people from econsultancy.com found that companies with 50 or more reviews see nearly a 5 percent boost in conversions. The survey indicated that 31 percent said they use reviews to help them make a purchase. These numbers no doubt influence the rise of companies like SocialJump, who charge US$ 75 per thousand Facebook likes.
While Gartner is realistic about how popular this practice is becoming on Twitter, Google+ and YouTube, the report cautions that companies should be aware of the risks associated with using these services. According to the report, any short term gains could nullified in the long run if the public finds out about the inflated numbers and starts viewing those companies as untrustworthy.
Regulators are Taking Notice
In 2011, the FTC levied a US$ 250,000 fine against Legacy Learning Systems for hiring marketers to post fake reviews on several websites. Gartner also cited campaigns by Sony, Wal-Mart, Nestle and Volkswagon as having been found to be misleading. Many of those campaigns were run by large marketing firms, but some companies were found to have been deleting negative comments on their social media sites.
In 2010, retailer Ann Taylor was suspected of giving out gift cards in exchange for favorable blog reviews. The case was investigated by the FTC, but no economic sanctions were filed. Additionally, the FTC settled with PR company Reverb communications the same year over fake reviews.
In a more connected world where people are interacting more than ever via some kind of mobile device, the report shows people still value real transparency and have little tolerance for deception. Let us know in the comments if you've come across some reviews or ratings you were certain were paid for.
Google's Nexus 7 is a powerful, well-priced tablet winning great sales and reviews. Amazon is preparing a new Kindle Fire, while Barnes and Noble has just trimmed the price of the Nook. So, how will the Mini iPad fare when Apple isn't first to market and what can Apple do to sweeten the deal?
Not Just a Mini
The iPad Mini could still be a collective hallucination experienced by the tech world. While we've seen enough parts of an iPhone 5 that you can practically build your own (if you have the right contacts in enough Asian factories) the diet iPad remains a ghostly enigma. Sure, case makers are selling protective add-ons based on the likely size, but that didn't stop them being wrong about last year's abortive iPhone 5 launch.
Even so, working on the assumption that Apple does launch a Mini iPad in September or October, it will place the company in an interesting position, where it won't be the first to market in the category. Also, going on the fairly firm rumor of a 7.85-inch, non-Retina display, at around $200, its rivals will be well entrenched and Apple will lack a killer hardware feature.
Playing the Software/Content Game
Magic is all about misdirection, as any good Magic's Secrets Revealed viewer knows. Despite their best efforts, we see Apple building desirable hardware with one hand, but we rarely hear about the software and services being sneakily dealt with by the other, until the official news and there is plenty Apple could add to iOS 6.
Having concluded that it is in the software arena that the Mini iPad will need to stand out, and after years of rumors, how likely is it that Apple will either finally buy Spotify, or launch a comparable service across all media? That could provide a monstrous amount of content for users and put it on a par with Amazon's hit services.
Or, it could work along the lines of Sony's PlayStation Plus service, offering a number of the better quality iOS games, some films and the latest music, all for a monthly subscription. These offerings are key in a market now dominated by content and not technology, and is an area where Apple is lagging behind.
Finally, there's the ever nagging feeling that Apple has a big gaming play up its sleeve, and with Amazon now entering the games developer arena, could Apple follow in some capacity? An iPad Mini would make the ideal unobtrusive console, connected to a big screen via HDMI and played through wireless controllers.
Pre-Game Hype
While there are some flamebait headlines doing the rounds based on a recent consumer survey, the iPad Mini will likely do a roaring trade on launch, as the Google Nexus 7 did. But as the Kindle Fire has proved, good content makes the tablet experience, and that's more important to end users than it is to the critics.
If Apple delivers some new compelling opportunity for those who found the full-size iPad too expensive, it could carve out huge amounts of revenue on a monthly basis from those users. Without it, Apple could find the new iPad looking decidedly plain in the view of price-concious consumers.
Pretty sure this guy works out at my gym--and dominates the squat thrust area. 
Google's Nexus 7 is a powerful, well-priced tablet winning great sales and reviews. Amazon is preparing a new Kindle Fire, while Barnes and Noble has just trimmed the price of the Nook. So, how will the Mini iPad fare when