Hack 42 Gather Your Friends on Amazon

Track your friends' Amazon activities by adding them to your Friends list.

Getting all of your friends together in one place is never an easy task. But if your friends have Amazon accounts, Amazon gives you a chance to make it happen. Adding friends to your Amazon Friends list allows you to see products they've added to their Wish Lists, read their latest product reviews, and potentially see items they've recently purchased.

You can find other users on Amazon and add them to your Friends list. The easiest way to find people is to use the search box in the upper lefthand corner of the Friends & Favorites page at http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/community/community-home.html.

The drop-down menu is set to "People" by default. Try typing in the name or email address of someone you know. You'll be surprised at how many people already have Amazon accounts. If you spot someone you'd like to add, click their name, then click "Make Amazon Friend" on the righthand side of their member page.

Another way to add people you know to your Amazon Friends list is to send them an invitation email. Make sure you're logged in, and then visit the invitation page, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/invite-friends/.

Separate your friends' email addresses by commas, like so:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Click "Add" and you're all set! Your friends will receive an invitation to join Amazon and will be added to your friends list.

There are two statuses for your friends at Amazon. One is "Favorite People" and the other is "Amazon Friend." Favorite People have the ability to see your lists, Wish Lists, and reviews. Amazon Friends can see all of those and selected items from your purchase history.

Amazon defaults to making people Amazon Friends, so be sure you're willing to share purchased items with them. If you'd like to change the access level of your friends at any time, visit the Update Favorite People page at http://amazon.com/o/customer-link-management.