RFE: Personalized Amazon Recommendations

There is a Kelly Clarkson ad on my feedly page. The temptation to call this a bug -- and a 'show stopper' one at that -- is practically overwhelming. ;-) ;-) On the flip side, U2's "No Line on the Horizon" is periodically showing up. What are the odds that I'll click on that link and buy that album? Hint 1: I already own that album. Hint 2: I purchased it from Amazon. :-)

In all seriousness, is there some way for me to sign in to my amazon.com account via feedly so that I can see personalized recommendations? I tried changing 'mystore' to the email address I have associated with my Amazon account (it was worth a try!). Doing so resulted in Kelly being gone, but ultimately the box pointed out that I could enable Amazon recommendations. When I agreed, the value was restored to 'mystore'. From this I'm concluding that the answer to my question is 'no', hence the RFE.

Other thoughts:

1. The fact that you can change the value from 'mystore' to something else via the preferences implies that a certain amount of customization is possible. If this is the case, at least minimal documentation should appear in that area suggesting what valid values are. Alternatively, validation of the entry (and hints when validation fails) might be helpful. If it's not customizable, but rather just off/on, it should be a checkbox or two radio buttons rather than an entry.


2. While I hate sponsored ads as a general rule, if the ad is for something that Amazon thinks I'd like based on my purchasing history, feedback, ratings & reviews, wishlist, etc. I can probably get over my hatred because at least the ad bares some resemblance to personal relevance. :-)


3. If you're clever about it, and partner with Amazon, I would think this can turn into an widget (rather than an ad, but you'd presumably still get revenue from it). Think about it: Between you and Amazon you have access to the following information about me:
   





1. Things I talk about/share on social networks


2. Who my friends (or at least "friends") are


3. Things I read about (feeds in Feedly + books bought/rated/wishlisted on Amazon


4. Things I own already


5. Things (i.e. products) I'm already aware of, and (admittedly to a lesser extent) things I might not be aware of


6. Things I'm likely to buy




With this in mind, consider the following: I'm reading about one of my favorite topics via Feedly, the story I'm reading happens to be about or by John Doe, John Doe's latest book came out, I don't own this book -- didn't know it existed -- but 3 of my friends (or "friends") with whom I regularly interact have purchased it and given it high ratings. What is the likelihood that I at least want to know about this book? (answer: Very, very likely!) What is the likelihood that I'll click on an "ad" for this book and purchase it? (answer: Pretty darned likely, and if I don't buy it right then I'd definitely add it to my wishlist for purchase later.) What is the likelihood that I'd view this information as intrusive? (answer: Next to nil. Make it an option in preferences and call it a "widget," and I'd see it not as an ad, but as a feature.)

Sorry to be so long-winded, but the more I think about this the more I see it as something good for all: I get desired information and shopping help, Feedly gets revenue, Amazon sells more stuff, and Kelly Clarkson is never seen on my page again. :-)

Thanks for "hearing me out."