

Amazon to Introduce Amazon Coins in May - DallaRosa
https://developer.amazon.com/post/Tx2KQ7KN7TXIQTU/Taking-Advantage-of-Amazon-Coins.html

======
ScottWhigham
_To help promote this new currency, Amazon is going to give away tens of
millions of dollars in Amazon Coins to Kindle Fire users. This money will be
burning a proverbial hole in customers’ pockets as they look for places to
spend it. We’d like your app to be one of the tempting places to spend that
currency._

That's such a weird juxtaposition of ideas - "promoting a new currency" by
giving away "tens of millions of dollars". It just feels weird. I suppose it's
ultimately no different than Google Checkout giving users $10 on their first
purchase[1] but it just feels different when they say "currency" vs. "payment
method". With the phrase "payment method", my brain does the mental switch,
"Should I pay with my Visa or my Amex card? Or what about cash?" No worries -
we do that often enough that it's second nature. But with the word "currency",
my brain does a double take - "Wait - I have to learn a new currency?" and
then there's all sorts of questions...

Oh well, nothing of value to my post here - just brain dumping.

[1] [http://www.michikono.com/2007/03/23/the-importance-of-
google...](http://www.michikono.com/2007/03/23/the-importance-of-google-
checkout-the-pieces-come-together/)

