NYTimes.com – Internet companies have been delighted to offer their users the chance to perform many of the tasks they would otherwise have to hire people to do, from making videos to tattling on those who write offensive comments.
Now Amazon.com has found a way to offload to users one of the most tedious tasks of the holiday season: answering questions from reporters trying to pad Thanksgiving week newspapers and airwaves with stories about hot products to buy.
The company has announced what it calls its “Holiday Customer Review Team.” These are six Amazon customers who are particularly active in writing product reviews that it has offered to reporters to discuss gift picks. (They also contribute their recommendations on a page on Amazon’s site.)
Amazon says that members of the team are “real people giving unbiased advice to fellow consumers. They are not employed by Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.”