Books We Like is "activist e-commerce", a whole new approach to mobilizing financially in support of independent media and a great example of what MVC is here for.

It's a peer-to-peer recommendation system for books, and it captures commissions on sales and distributes 100% of profits to our independent media partners. If every progressive book buyer makes their Amazon (or other online service) purchases through it, we'll raise millions of dollars.

It's the flip side of "voting with your dollars", empowering consumers not just to buy good products but to help market them.

We call it "constituency marketing". The best existing example is the way Alternet and MoveOn have marketed the films of Robert Greenwald, Uncovered and Outfoxed. The idea is that some non-profit organizations have high credibility with progressive constituencies, and can leverage that to promote good products, thereby serving both the producer and the consumer. And in doing so, commissions are natural, thereby generating revenue for the recommending site.

Sign up there and start contributing what you love about books.