Which social cataloging application

[Shack70]

I use Goodreads to keep track of my books. I like the community over there and the iPhone app is pretty good too.

[Faenad]

Goodreads seems to have the most comprehensive book database. I mostly use it to keep track of my "to-read" list. It's very useful to find new potentially interesting book based on what others users liked, much more than the Amazon or B&N websites for example.
It's also useful to keep track of what you have read, and to avoid reading twice something or skipping a good book by mistake. For example I just started The Gathering storm by Jordan/Sanderson and realized it's the third book I read with the exact same title (along one by Churchill and one by Kate Elliot)

[sakura-panda]

I'm signed up with Goodreads, but I find it slow and cumbersome to use and mostly leave it alone. I do go in sometimes when I'm looking for book reviews, and it's fine for that, but to enter in my own data is time-consuming and somewhat painful and I've given up on it.

I have not tried any of the other ones and just stick with a text-based list and Calibre to keep track of books I have read and own.

GoodReads also has an Android app that I have been thinking of trying, to see if I would use it more, but I keep forgetting to download it!

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

I'm signed up with Goodreads, but I find it slow and cumbersome to use and mostly leave it alone. I do go in sometimes when I'm looking for book reviews, and it's fine for that, but to enter in my own data is time-consuming and somewhat painful and I've given up on it.

I have not tried any of the other ones and just stick with a text-based list and Calibre to keep track of books I have read and own.

GoodReads also has an Android app that I have been thinking of trying, to see if I would use it more, but I keep forgetting to download it!

Don't know if you're interested in pursuing it, but if the majority of your books have ISBNs in calibre, you can generate a csv catalog with the just ISBN numbers and import it into Goodreads. You can also do it with title/author but it seems less accurate, and you also have to change one of the column headings in the csv file but I can't remember which and I don't have the file in front of me.

On the import page in Goodreads there is a sample csv file you can download to see which headings it can utilize, and you can get quite detailed in your import. I've got a template that I use that includes shelf assignments. I create the csv with calibre, open both it and my template as spreadsheets, and copy the columns into the correct places.

[jersysman]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

On the import page in Goodreads there is a sample csv file you can download to see which headings it can utilize, and you can get quite detailed in your import. I've got a template that I use that includes shelf assignments. I create the csv with calibre, open both it and my template as spreadsheets, and copy the columns into the correct places.

Thanks for the info!! I didn't know this was there. I've got to organize my books on either Calibre or Goodreads because it is a hodge-podge right now.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by jersysman

Thanks for the info!! I didn't know this was there. I've got to organize my books on either Calibre or Goodreads because it is a hodge-podge right now.

Yeah, it's not the most obvious feature.

Some things to note - sometimes ISBNs get re-issued, so after import, it's good to do a quick run-through of your newly added books and look for anything you don't recognize. Also, I try to separate the import file into batches of about 100 or less to reduce the likelihood that GR will choke on it. It's a little quirky, but it sure is a time saver.

[GraceKrispy]

I have a goodreads account. I'm terrible at social networking. I have several networking applications, but they are all pretty much only to share my reviews.

[SeaBookGuy]

By "social networking" in this case I'd mean posting in the (reading) forums there, just as one does here - not tweeting and twittering every minute of one's day.

[PG4003]

I love Goodreads. It took me a long time to get all my books entered there but now it's very easy to maintain. I created a shelf for my Kindle Lendable books and when I loan one out I make a note there so I know I can't lend it again. It's also easy to email somebody the link to all my Lendable books. I also like to read reviews from other people about books.

[Crusader]

I use Goodreads since I like the interface and there's a great group there (South African Book Lovers - open to non ZA members too) which I'm part of that has interesting challenges and discussions without being too serious.

The new Goodreads app has a barcode scanner, but I prefer to use MyBookDroid on my Android phone. It keeps an offline catalog of your books and you can easily add books to your Goodreads account. Adding my 200+ collection of physical books took about an hour. You can always add books as you read them if you don't want to a

I also like how GR doesn't have restrictions on number of books or shelves. I use shelves to keep track of books I own, want to buy etc.

Where GR really shines is when you find a group you feel comfortable with and participate in the goings on. It adds a new level. Of course you can just use it as a catalog service as well.

[teadonkey]

I use GoodReads and... does Amazon count? I don't keep a real catalog of everything I've ever read. Goodness me that'd take forever, and I see absolutely no reason for it. I know what I've read, why do I need to keep a list? I would much rather keep a list of what I want to read. That's what I use GR for, too. Once I actually read a book it either gets deleted or I remove all tags except for 'read' so it doesn't clog up my lists. And I don't use any of the social functions of it. I'm a really shy reader. When people ask me what I'm reading it, I very broadly state the genre like, "Oh it's a mystery" or something like that and try to drop the subject.

But I also use Amazon in this way. I am semi-addicted to Amazon, which is a major reason I chose Kindle over Nook, and I have probably 6 or 7 wishlists just for books. (They're broken up by genre, and I also keep a wishlist of books that I know my library has... I won't actually buy them on Amazon because the library has them, but then I know when I go to buy a book which ones I don't need to spend money on. Super helpful, I suggest everyone do this!)

If I could get excel on my droid for free, I would probably just switch to using that instead of GR. The best thing about GR for me is the portability.

edit QUESTION! I looked at Shelfari because of the integration with Amazon which is awesome for me. But it looked like it's more about keeping lists of things you have already read instead of things you would like to read. Is that true?

[Tome Keeper]

I have used all of them but none of them match my needs. I currently maintain a good reads account for posting reviews, and use LibraryThing for their early release giveaways.