So you I like to read. Seems like that’d be a fairly solitary hobby doesn’t it. At one time it was the most solitary pursuit. Oh, there are reading circles and such, but those are hard to keep up with and find one to fit your comfort zone. There are fan forums, but often those don’t have your friends and folks you actually know in person. Just as much you won’t see much of the author there.
Goodreads comes to the rescue. Goodreads is more than just a place to chalk up all of the books you’ve read. It’s a place to share, be shared with, and to find out what your friends are reading and recommending.
Lots of web sites have forums, and Goodreads doesn’t lack for those. The folks there brought us more than that though. Goodreads provides Groups. Groups act as more than chat rooms or a place to post your latest review. A group provides for sharing a bookshelf, planning events, and even taking polls. Of course, there is good old discussions as well.
Managing your books is another place where Goodreads does a great job. The basic categories are read, to be read, and reading. Pretty straight forward. Beyond that however, each user can create customized groupings of their own. These groupings are known as shelves. Books are easily swapped between groups at several of the screens, on the book, on the shelf or on any page where the books are listed.
Reviews are another plus here. Not only can you post your own reviews, but those are available for others interested in that book. Likewise you’ll have other readers’ reviews there for your own benefit. On the reviews page, you can let the reviewer know the post was helpful, and beyond that, provided feedback to them personally. It’s also a great way to find folks with similar interests.
Finally, the big feature for me among several other great ones is seeing what your friends are reading. Yes, your real friends. Get them to sign up and there you are.
You can leave messages about the books a friend is reading, follow the discussion about a specific book, and even tell a story about your friend for others to read.
Friends can recommend books to each other, mark a book as recommended by, or mark one you’ve read as a good recommendation to someone else.
All in all there are lots of ways to interact and share. Added benefits include real authors being members, printable lists, and Amazon searching. I’ve yet to not be able to find a book I’d like to include.
If you love to read, check out Goodreads.
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Tags: book, books, Goodreads, reading, social network, Social Networking
