My Book's Discussion Board - More On Indie Publishing on Amazon

I visit each Amazon page for my books several times a day. I've noticed the Product Forums section at the bottom of those pages before, but I have to admit, the idea of starting a forum discussion for my own book never occurred to me.

This morning, I was trying to get information about the Books With Buzz 

box that suddenly appeared below SWEPT AWAY , episode 1 of my serial THE AMERICAN FATHERS.

Midway down the search results page, I noticed this post: Creating a Buzz About Your Book on Amazon by +Sherrie Wilkolaski .

Sherrie's suggestion that authors use this discussion board feature of a book's product page struck me immediately as a great one. Amazon's customer discussion guidelines do not prohibit authors from doing this. They in fact represent excellent overall guidelines for social media etiquette.  

What should I post? 

Please share thoughts that you think will add to the discussion and help other customers interested in the product area, or start a conversation to learn from other customers' experiences. For example: 

• Ask questions about a product ("Is the Fellowship of the Ring suitable for my 8 year-old son?" "Do the Calvin Klein t-shirts run small?") 
• Contribute product comparisons ("The Zen Micro wins on price and specs, while the iPod Nano wins on size and cachet." "I really recommend the Thompson guide over the more advanced reference if you're just getting started.") 
• Look for guidance from other customers who have made similar purchases ("I love my new 'pod' coffee maker, but want to find a darker roast of coffee for it. What pod brands have you tried?" "Did anyone else have trouble setting up this toolbench?") 
• Get advice when shopping ("If I want a pocket-sized digital camera, do I have to give up decent optical zoom?" "What should I look for in a travel guide when vacationing with kids?") 
• Share your experience in a product area ("The 'fuzzy logic' feature makes perfect, fluffy rice, but what I most value in a rice cooker is flexibility." "The new multimedia Nokias with Series 60 software should really challenge the industry.") 
• Debate plots, characters, lyrics, and more with other fans. Connect with aficionados to discuss authors, musicians, or directors. 

What shouldn't I post? 

Behave as if you were a guest at a friend's dinner party. Please treat the Amazon.com community with respect. Do not post: 

• Profane or obscene, inflammatory or spiteful comments 
• Messages that abuse, denigrate or threaten others 
• Text or articles written by someone else, even with attribution for the author, except for brief quotations from a book, article or other product related to the discussion 
• Any personal information about children under 13 
• Descriptions that intrude on the privacy of another person, including revealing personally identifiable information such as their name or address 
• Text that promotes illegal or immoral conduct 
• Repeated posts that make the same point excessively 
• Repeated unwelcome messages that harass or embarrass other customers or participants Repeated posts that promote an item in the Amazon.com catalog 
• Any form of "spam," including advertisements, contests, or other solicitations for other websites or companies; or any URL link that includes a "referrer" tag or affiliate code.

Do not impersonate another person, including an Amazon.com employee. 

We recommend that you do not post your phone number or e-mail address. 

Before publishing this post, I started a discussion on the product page for SWEPT AWAY. Just a simple question:

EROTICA READERS: do you consider this book erotica?

I sincerely wonder whether readers think SWEPT AWAY is erotica or not. Especially, erotica readers. Feel free to post what you think.