Publishers Weekly wrote about the partnership between Barnes & Noble and Common Sense Media in Common Sense Raises Issues at B&N. This blog was quoted in that article. So welcome!
To recap: I wrote about the partnership in my post, No, We All Don't Agree.
In a nutshell, my point of view:
Common Sense Media is there for those parents who want it.
Despite its name "common sense" and it saying its what "all" parents think/want and that it doesn't make judgments, my position is it DOES make judgments and connects those judgments to age ratings. As explained in my earlier post, the judgment was made for Calpurnia that showing legal behaviour by adults warrants a higher age rating. Fine; those readers who agree can use that website to find the books that reflect their own positions and judgments. Or, take a look at other titles, such as the any of the Rainbow list and see what elements are judged there. Agree or disagree with the website; you can read it or not. They give plenty of information for you to decide.
Now, Barnes & Noble on the other hand is a commercial bookseller. They use a variety of editorial and customer reviews already. Adding the Common Sense Media review (especially in full) to their review section? Why not? It's balanced by other reviews.
Highlighting the Common Sense Media age labels on the primary page of a book?
That's getting a bit more iffy, especially since there is no balance to other different age recommendations. It's saying that Common Sense Age labels are the only ones that matter. There is no balance. There is a realistic risk that most readers won't click through and read the whole review and the reasons behind it.
Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.
© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
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