Where would you start in explaining ebooks to a non-techie total newbie?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Just look at the people over on the Amazon Kindle discussions page. One person bought TWO and then realized there was no whispernet coverage in her area. Didn't have the sense to check it out on the Amazon site first. Thats the Oprah mentality I hate. People will take what she says, buy a product, or book, not even beginning to wonder if there is any information missing that may be important.

Well, to be fair, plenty of celebrities have that effect on people... that's why they do commercials. So I'd call it the celebrity-shill mentality, not to pin it all on Oprah. Besides, if people weren't responding to their shilling, often with a comical lack of forethought, it wouldn't matter what the celebrities did.

Sure, a lot of people are probably going to check out the Kindle, and a few of them may be disappointed in the experience. On the other hand, getting the Kindle that public exposure will be great for e-books in general, and should lead to a greater public awareness of the market overall. It might even help other readers work on homogenizing themselves into just a few popular formats (bandwagon, ahoy) and thereby give people better hardware choices.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Well, to be fair, plenty of celebrities have that effect on people... that's why they do commercials. So I'd call it the celebrity-shill mentality, not to pin it all on Oprah. Besides, if people weren't responding to their shilling, often with a comical lack of forethought, it wouldn't matter what the celebrities did.

Sure, a lot of people are probably going to check out the Kindle, and a few of them may be disappointed in the experience. On the other hand, getting the Kindle that public exposure will be great for e-books in general, and should lead to a greater public awareness of the market overall. It might even help other readers work on homogenizing themselves into just a few popular formats (bandwagon, ahoy) and thereby give people better hardware choices.

Very few celebrities have the 'shill factor' of O. Yes, it IS the Ophrah mentality.

Public exposure to the Kindle is not the problem here. Again, its the wild
"buy it but don't know what it is, what it does, and don't' need to, but look at how sincere she is and how much she loves it" effect that will hurt.

There is a world of difference between wanting a Kindle because its what you want,
and wanting a Kindle because Oprah loves it.

[hagen]

dont try....

some of my friends ( male and female) told me, that they need the smell and the feeling of paper, some told me, and this is - i belive - the real resaon, they dont like all this computerstuff.
im with ebooks since 10 jears now and (my) explainations changed nobodys mind.
if they have to use them becorse the work or the shool requiers this they will do.
my line is now to tell them how many trees can be saved............

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by hagen

some of my friends ( male and female) told me, that they need the smell and the feeling of paper, some told me, and this is - i belive - the real resaon, they dont like all this computerstuff.

My hubby recently sold his reader because he prefer the feel of real books. As he's an IT professional and a gadget geek, I'm inclined to believe him So not everyone who doesn't like readers doesn't like computers. But he may well be in the minority...

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

My hubby recently sold his reader because he prefer the feel of real books. As he's an IT professional and a gadget geek, I'm inclined to believe him So not everyone who doesn't like readers doesn't like computers. But he may well be in the minority...

Some have made eBook Reader covers by hollowing out an old book to hold the reader. I would imagine the smell is still there and you could have the best of both worlds. Of course you can always just keep one old book nearby. The plot really doesn't matter to the smell of the book. At some point they will sell book smelling candles.

Dale

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by hagen

some of my friends ( male and female) told me, that they need the smell and the feeling of paper...

When anyone starts talking like that to me, I generally roll my eyes and find someone else to talk to. Puh-leeese.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Some have made eBook Reader covers by hollowing out an old book to hold the reader. I would imagine the smell is still there and you could have the best of both worlds. Of course you can always just keep one old book nearby. The plot really doesn't matter to the smell of the book. At some point they will sell book smelling candles.

Dale

That was his original plan, but he prefers reading on paper for some reason. I actually think part of the reason was the size of the Sony - he does have incredibly large hands...

If they start selling book-smelling candles, I'm buying some!

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

When anyone starts talking like that to me, I generally roll my eyes and find someone else to talk to. Puh-leeese.

Why does that offend you so? There is definitely a different 'feel' to paper books that cannot be duplicated by reading on a hand held device. Its a tactile thing, like reading a big colorful book to a little one.

I wouldn't get rid of my paper books for anything, and sometimes I actually do smell and feel them.

I love my Kindle, but my paper books will be with me always.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Why does that offend you so? There is definitely a different 'feel' to paper books that cannot be duplicated by reading on a hand held device. Its a tactile thing, like reading a big colorful book to a little one.

I kind of feel the same way. But, only about people that have never tried it. Get on, borrow one, try to read one book on it.... A book you know you will love and then... if you still feel that way about paper I can respect it.

My wife actually just told me this when we were in the book store and I didn't want her to buy any books. (We where there to get my son a book for school... he claimed he couldn't read it electronically cause he couldn't annotate it. Makes some sense.) She said she liked holding the paper book.

BOb

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I kind of feel the same way. But, only about people that have never tried it. Get on, borrow one, try to read one book on it.... A book you know you will love and then... if you still feel that way about paper I can respect it.

My wife actually just told me this when we were in the book store and I didn't want her to buy any books. (We where there to get my son a book for school... he claimed he couldn't read it electronically cause he couldn't annotate it. Makes some sense.) She said she liked holding the paper book.

BOb

I was one of those "I love the feel of books in my hand" people, and swore I'd never use an e-book reader.

But like you say, Bob, once I tried it, and saw all the advantages, I was sold.

Ebook readers don't replace paper books, they simply give you an alternative way to read.

If they ever did completely replace paper books, well, thats not a world I'd like to live in..

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Why does that offend you so?

It's not that it offends me. But to me, reading is reading. Not smelling or touching or hearing, just reading.

When I get into a story, it doesn't matter whether it is on paper or a screen, or whether I'm in front of a roaring fire or on a commuter train, day or night, the beach or the laundromat, summer or winter... I don't notice any of that stuff when I'm in the story.

To me, anyone who can only read when they are in a particular sensory environment... don't seem to be fully tuning into the story itself as much as they are tuning into (or failing to tune out) everything else around them. And I hope that doesn't offend any of you, that's just my feeling.

So when someone tells me they refuse to try an e-book, because they won't give up their sensory environment, I realize that we are not speaking about the same things. I am speaking about reading stories. They are speaking about a specific combination of sensory experiences that they collectively call "enjoying a good book," but which is not the same thing as "reading stories." Note that I am not criticizing what they do, just accepting that they are two different things.

I don't want to push e-books at someone who is more concerned about the comfort of their armchair or the sweetness of their tea, or how an electronic device might upset that delicate balance. I want to promote e-books to someone who appreciates the advantages of e-books to reading stories.

See, I figure e-books are an inevitability... sooner or later, most everyone will be using e-books of some kind or another. There's no point rushing everyone into it. So I just concentrate on the people who are likely to get something positive out of the experience now, and let the big marketers worry about how to swing the masses their way.

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

If they ever did completely replace paper books, well, thats not a world I'd like to live in..

As someone who feels the drama and wonder of a book are the same whether it is on paper or a screen, I could never feel that way. Give me the stories, in any format, and we're good.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

When I get into a story, it doesn't matter whether it is on paper or a screen, or whether I'm in front of a roaring fire or on a commuter train[/I].

I have that problem too... and have got off at the wrong stop on more than one occasion because of it!

They are speaking about a specific combination of sensory experiences that they collectively call "enjoying a good book," but which is not the same thing as "reading stories." Note that I am not criticizing what they do, just accepting that they are two different things.

But for some people the right atmosphere is conducive to being able to let go enough to get lost in the book. I know people who can't read on a train because they're worried about missing their stop, and therefore aren't able to get into whatever it is they're reading because of that worry. (I also know at least one person who missed their stop whilst reading a free newspaper they got that engrossed...). I actually think I read in the way some people watch TV - I'll pick up a book or magazine and read it just because it's there, not neccesarily because it looks interesting!

[grimo1re]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

It's not that it offends me. But to me, reading is reading. Not smelling or touching or hearing, just reading.

Yes! Yes! I totally agree. But (there just had to be one ) I do find that walking into a brick & mortar bookshop is a whole different experience than browsing an online bookshop. Both get me salivating, don't get me wrong. But I do love walking into a bookshop. The smell, the colourful covers (I love the travel book section), the picking up and doing a bit of reading, the feeeeeeel of the books....Then I will memorise the titles/authors that I'm interested in and will try to find the books in an e-book version

Basically in my ideal future, there'd be an offline paper-based bookshop as a sort of catalogue and I'd do my actual reading on my device! But perhaps that's too weird....

[Slite]

Originally Posted by grimo1re

Yes! Yes! I totally agree. But (there just had to be one ) I do find that walking into a brick & mortar bookshop is a whole different experience than browsing an online bookshop. Both get me salivating, don't get me wrong. But I do love walking into a bookshop. The smell, the colourful covers (I love the travel book section), the picking up and doing a bit of reading, the feeeeeeel of the books....Then I will memorise the titles/authors that I'm interested in and will try to find the books in an e-book version

Basically in my ideal future, there'd be an offline paper-based bookshop as a sort of catalogue and I'd do my actual reading on my device! But perhaps that's too weird....

Agreed, thats about the only thing I do miss about switching to e-books. The wandering around and looking at books and getting interested in a cover, checking the book out and reading the synopsis on the back etc.

Oh Virtual Reality bookshops were art thou?

[zelda_pinwheel]

actually that is an idea which has been proposed before and generates a lot of enthusiasm... taylor had a whole scenario worked out, and nekokami also had some really good ideas about the bookshop of the future. i don't know why the actual bookstore chains haven't come up with it. combining a physical bookstore with an in-store ebook kiosk where people could purchase and download their choices after browsing in the shelves would make a lot of people reeeeeallly happy. and other features could even be added.