Monday, May 17, 2004

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Amazon Rebates I have been an Amazon skeptic for a while. Skeptical both of their value as an investment, and their value to me as a bargain-hunting consumer. I think maybe we are seeing improvement on both fronts, bhough I only know enough to comment usefully on the second. I am a prolific online purchaser, but I have almost never bought anything other than books or music from Amazon. They are never, but never, the low-price seller. Lately, though, they have been offering free shipping on any order over $20. That, along with the questionable, but appealing if you can get it, eCommerce tax holiday, helps significantly. Plus, there seem to be more and more Amazon-specific rebates, a la Best Buy. The latest is the Amazon-branded Visa (no annual fee). I got a $30 credit just for signing up, and some points for using it. Hopefully an occasional credit or offer beyond that. I still think I will use Amazon for a very small minority of non-book online purchase, but it may rise above zero. 8:34:12 PM    comment []

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Jargonwatch: Impactful I attended a company soft skills training class last week that focused on what it takes to provide "Impactful Leadership". Yeccch. Impactful simply is not a word (yet). What they really meant was simply "Effective Leadership", but I guess someone in Training & Development intuited that "Effective Leadership" was a shopworn phrase, so cast about for a "fresher" alternative. 8:26:07 PM    comment []