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There's great value in Goodreads but I think you have different expectations for it.
Is it a great portal to directly sell books? Honestly, no.
What it is great with, however, are connecting with readers. However, the way to do so isn't necessarily counter-intuitive if you're used to old paradigms (you probably won't grasp the value of Tumblr or Pinterest immediately either).
Goodreads has forums for example but it isn't really optimized for that kind of discussion (I think MobileRead is much more conducive to forum discussion... since that's the base it's built on).
Goodread's strength is that it keep tracks of books (as a reader), and from there, lets you do various stuff, such as rate the books you've read, see other people's ratings, comment on them, etc. It's more about sharing the joys (or dislikes, as the case may be) of what you're reading.
As an author, the value here is less about direct promotion (or direct sales), but sharing the books you read with other people--and in this way, increase your visibility among them. You can also do giveaways and interviews there, and that's what a lot of authors use it for.
And of course, your mileage will vary. Not every author/book will be popular, even if you're "behaving" the right way.
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