Hack 22 Set Email and Messages Preferences

You can decide how often Amazon contacts you by setting your preferences.

If your primary method of communication on the Internet is email, you can have Amazon send information to your inbox. Amazon sends several different types of email, and you can manage your settings at any time by clicking "Your Account" at the top of any page and scrolling down to the "E-mail Notifications" section. The different types of email are:

Alerts

Set a keyword for certain product categories at Amazon, and you'll receive an email when new products are available that match your criteria. For example, a "hacks" alert in books would let you know when this book was released. You can add an alert at https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/alerts/signup.html/.

Delivers

Choose your favorite product categories at Amazon and receive recommendations, reviews, and interviews by editors from those categories. Figure 2-10 shows the Amazon.com Delivers category selection form.

Figure 2-10. Amazon.com delivers category selection

Available to Order notifications

If you're browsing around Amazon and spot an item that is out of stock or that Amazon doesn't know the release date for, you can sign up to be alerted when it's available.

New for You

This is an email version of the site feature "New for You." It lists new products. The web version is available at http://amazon.com/o/tg/new-for-you/new-for-you/-/main/.

Special Occasion Reminders

These are email alerts that you specifically set up to remind you [Hack #24] of important days.

Weekly Movie Showtimes

Based on your zip code, Amazon sends an email with movie showtimes [Hack #23] for your area. This service is also available on their site.