Amazon Module: Simple Tips and Tricks
The Amazon module is a powerful tool that can help you feature books, CD's, DVD's and other products in your lenses -- or highlight Amazon's best-selling selections.
When many lensmasters first use the Amazon module, they usually let the module do all the work for them. Here are some simple ideas you can use to get more out of the module -- just a little more work can go a long way.
Do the Picking
It might be tempting to let Amazon pick for you, but consider making a hand-crafted list of your favorite books, the best books about a specific topic or the best books about your favorite author. The Help Me Find Products link can help you find relevant items, but here's another idea: In a new tab or window -- depending on your browser -- just do an Amazon search. Copy and paste the ASIN (Amazon's product code) for an item -- the numbers and letters following product/ in the URL -- into the module's text box.
Add a Description
Merely mentioning a book might not be a strong enough recommendation. If you expand on why you're including it in your list, readers might be more apt to take action and click through to buy the book. So consider adding a description to each item in an Amazon module. You don't have to say a lot. Just give folks a sense of why you liked a book, what you got out of it or why you think it's important for other people to read. For a couple of good examples, check out this module in Tobin Truog's lens Classical Music You Should Know About.
Make Multiple Modules
Why throw everything in one single Amazon module? Make more! Make a module for books on a subject. Make another for DVD's. Make yet another for CD's. Also, consider subsets of the books and items you recommend. Make one for fiction. Another for nonfiction. Books by the author? Books about the author. Focusing your Amazon modules can make them more powerful. See Wayne Richards's incomplete poker club lens for a solid sample.
