Daily affirmations of a word mercenary
Amazonian
20May2004 Filed under: Word MercenarySo I wondered to myself, “Self, how many product descriptions have I written for Amazon in the 4+ years they’ve been a client?”
The answer: at least 711, and that doesn’t include the hundreds of descriptions written for Consumer Electronics, where descriptions are uncredited.
Wow!
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3 Responses to “Amazonian”
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Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
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Cinnamon
May 21st, 2004 at 1:16 am
When I worked in Product Information for Williams-Sonoma, I used to have to edit copy that said (on a hand-painted bowl from Tuscany), “This bowl is perfect for ice cream OR soup!” — which always stuck in my craw. It’s a bowl. Whether it’s hand-painted or mass-produced in Shanghai, bowls are pretty much self-explanatory in terms of use. I don’t think a copyblock letting you know you could use it for “soup OR ice cream” would actually expand the uses beyond what you’d already considered prior to purchasing, nor would it compel a purchase where none existed before. “Really, not just a single use? But TWO uses?”
I always wanted to read the blueline and have it say, “Handpainted bowl from Italy. Perfect for fingernail clippings or swill.”
I have to say that after reading your copyblocks, I have a whole new respect for the craft. Good on you, Ariel! Where were you in 1992 when I was having to read copy about coir rugs for Pottery Barn (”never needs cleaning! Durable, natural fibers.”).
christine
May 21st, 2004 at 8:54 am
Do you personally use/test each of the items that you review? Are you able to keep any of the items? Just wondering.
Ariel
May 21st, 2004 at 9:12 am
Christine, I used/tested most of the Lawn&Patio and Kitchen/Housewares stuff. I’d sit in a sample warehouse and try things out. Keep in mind that I really can’t “try out” say, a food processor, in a warehouse. I didn’t have any food. I couldn’t really “try out” a lawn mower because, well, there wasn’t any grass. But I could at least kick it and touch it and stuff. With consumer electronics, there were only a handful of times (4? 5?) that I even SAW the product. The rest of the times I was just writing the description from specs online. And no: I don’t get to keep any of the items.