Amazon engages in social networking

SEATTLE Amazon.com today launched two applications on the social networking site Facebook that allows users to see what their friends would like to get from Amazon, as well as their activity on Amazon.com. Amazon Giver allows users to see what their friends on Facebook have on their Amazon Wish Lists. Users can choose to purchase a gift for them from Amazon.com via the application, or view suggested items based on interests they have listed on their Facebook profile. Amazon Grapevine allows users to see friends’ activity on Amazon.com, such as when they update their Wish List, write a review or tag a product, via News Feed updates.

Amazon said that both features share only the information with Facebook users’ friends that each user has affirmatively chosen to share via an opt-in mechanism.

"Amazon.com is pleased to bring the convenience of shopping on Amazon to our customers, many of whom are also Facebook users, with the Amazon Giver and Amazon Grapevine applications on Facebook Platform,” said Eva Manolis, vp of Amazon.com. “By combining Amazon’s vast selection of products with Facebook’s millions of users, we are able to make activities like gift-giving more efficient and rewarding for Facebook users."