Amazon has announced a new membership program and one of the WSJ columnists is tempted.

Link: WSJ.com – Real Time (paid subscription required).

When I discovered Amazon Prime wouldn’t have made sense for me given how I used Amazon in 2004, my first reaction was disappointment. (To be sure, this isn’t necessarily a fair test: I’d undoubtedly use Amazon more as a Prime member.) This might be another indication that I’m insane, but I think it reflects Amazon’s strength as a brand, which has been built on customer service, ease of use and the depth of its user reviews. Some people (including me, apparently) like Amazon enough to want to be associated with it for reasons beyond the financial, and a membership club is a good way to try and snare them.