How many people have you 'converted' to ebook reading? - Page 5

Aladyleyna · 06-21-2011, 08:32 AM

I'm not sure whether this counts, but my cousin recently bought an iPad because he told me that after seeing mine, he realized that an iPad was more useful for his purposes than an iPhone. He did say that he was going to use the iPad to read ebooks (he felt that the iPhone was too small to do any effective reading, plus the battery life wasn't as good) though, so I guess that's one convert?

So far, I have yet to convince any other people about the benefits of ereading. I have been trying on my mother, since she's a voracious reader and apple fangirl, but she still prefers to visit libraries and read paperbacks.

But then again, other than my close family members, I never really try to convince people of doing things in a certain way.

Namekuseijin · 06-21-2011, 09:38 AM

I've thought of the kind of people who wouldn't like an e-reader: those who use books as decoration to impress guests. Imagine the disgust in having a thin device all alone in a bookshelf?

ilovejedd · 06-21-2011, 10:07 AM

Quote:

How many people have you 'converted' to ebook reading?

For that to happen, people I know would have to be fond of reading in the first place. I might gift my aunt a reader, but I'd have to load it up with books first. I think the Kindle WiFi/3G SO + $50 worth of ebooks would be a good Christmas present.

Those I know who are voracious readers, they already read on the PC. A dedicated ereader or a multi-purpose tablet, though, is a bit too expensive for them (I think they're usually double the US prices). Besides, aside from the classics and public domain stuff, there's nowhere buy ebooks in my country (albeit, piracy is rampant).

AkumaTakeshi · 06-21-2011, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

I've thought of the kind of people who wouldn't like an e-reader: those who use books as decoration to impress guests. Imagine the disgust in having a thin device all alone in a bookshelf?

Never thought of that, but yeah you could be right

Paper books really stand out more than a single device and they can do remarks like. "Wow you have such a great book collection. You must read a lot." and if you only got an e-reader on your table (or whatever place), firstly they probably won't know what it is, then it really doesn't stand out that much, and we could have an entire public library (OK maybe a bit too much?) in it without them knowing.

ilovejedd · 06-21-2011, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AkumaTakeshi

we could have an entire public library (OK maybe a bit too much?) in it without them knowing.

Nah. Unless they've got a ton of pics, ebooks don't really take up much space. You're probably looking at 500KiB~1MiB for most novels and assuming you have a 32GB microSDHC card installed on your reader, you could have more than 30,000 books on your device (not counting internal memory). I don't think the nearest local branch of our public library even has that many books.

AkumaTakeshi · 06-21-2011, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Nah. Unless they've got a ton of pics, ebooks don't really take up much space. You're probably looking at 500KiB~1MiB for most novels and assuming you have a 32GB microSDHC card installed on your reader, you could have more than 30,000 books on your device (not counting internal memory). I don't think the nearest local branch of our public library even has that many books.

I know with a SD card that's easily obtained but unfortunately Kindle doesn't have a SD slot, but well I won't get it full in the near future anyways

Well I went to see my library estimate total books just out of curiosity and it says 34.000 more but that estimate is a few years old, I don't know about now. I did actually think they had much less selection than that tho.

Pomtroll · 06-21-2011, 11:05 AM

Since I first answered this, I have converted 5 more people. Most have Kindles. I don't push any one reader but ask what they like & which store they would likely shop with. I may have sold someone on a Sony 350 because she liked how it slipped into my smaller purse.

Latinandgreek · 06-21-2011, 11:13 AM

I have converted another two people since I last posted, with a potential third on the way.

DMB · 06-21-2011, 11:21 AM

I have influenced members of my family but I wouldn't OTW call it converting them. First was my daughter. I showed her at length how my K3 worked and she liked it, so she got one for Christmas. Then soon afterwards my son and DIL decided they would like one each and I think it was seeing them in the family that planted the idea.

My husband is the only one I converted. He is a bit technophobic and didn't see the point of an ereader. So I installed Kindle for PC on his laptop, registered to my account, and started sending him ebooks I thought he'd like. He got quite hooked and then decided that an ereader might be more convenient. So I got him a K3, also registered to my account, charged it up and preloaded a whole lot of books. He was therefore able to pick it up and start reading immediately.

ilovejedd · 06-21-2011, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pomtroll

Since I first answered this, I have converted 5 more people. Most have Kindles. I don't push any one reader but ask what they like & which store they would likely shop with. I may have sold someone on a Sony 350 because she liked how it slipped into my smaller purse.

I think the Kindle probably wins on ease of use, price and book selection. While I wouldn't get one for myself, I do think it's probably one of the best options for other people who don't care if they're going to be locked in to Amazon's ecosystem.

I personally love my PRS-350 but it's going to be too complicated to use for other folks who have no idea what DRM is.

elizilla · 06-21-2011, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

I've thought of the kind of people who wouldn't like an e-reader: those who use books as decoration to impress guests. Imagine the disgust in having a thin device all alone in a bookshelf?

Years ago I saw a blog post from someone, can't recall who, where she said "If you go home with a guy and he doesn't have any books, don't sleep with him." I was impressed by this advice so I remember it.

I suppose for someone my age, our partners still have books and probably always will, even if they get into ereaders. But for a younger person, this simple piece of relationship advice will become less simple.

Pookeysgirl · 06-21-2011, 11:42 AM

I've only converted one person so far. My co-worker really didn't understand my addiction to my Kobo until I convinced her to get a Kobo Wi-fi. She's not techy at all and it took me some time to get her used to using it. She's had it since Christmas and had to ask me this morning "How do I know if it's charging "

Ummmm the bright red light at the top and the fact that it says "Charging" on the screen.

She loves it though, and just won a Kobo Touch that she should be getting in a couple weeks.

ficbot · 06-21-2011, 12:17 PM

My total has increased too

Kobo gifted to Mom
Kobo gifted to Dad
Helped boss gift Sony to co-worker
Sold old Kindle to aunt
Sold old Libre to co-worker
Helped Dad gift Kobo to stepmom

DiapDealer · 06-21-2011, 12:21 PM

I'm guessing there's 50-60 people who have lied to me just to get me to; "shut up about the damn ereaders already."

Latinandgreek · 06-21-2011, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'm guessing there's 50-60 people who have lied to me just to get me to; "shut up about the damn ereaders already."

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06-21-2011, 08:32 AM	#61
Aladyleyna Zealot Posts: 138 Karma: 24624 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Singapore Device: iPad 1	I'm not sure whether this counts, but my cousin recently bought an iPad because he told me that after seeing mine, he realized that an iPad was more useful for his purposes than an iPhone. He did say that he was going to use the iPad to read ebooks (he felt that the iPhone was too small to do any effective reading, plus the battery life wasn't as good) though, so I guess that's one convert? So far, I have yet to convince any other people about the benefits of ereading. I have been trying on my mother, since she's a voracious reader and apple fangirl, but she still prefers to visit libraries and read paperbacks. But then again, other than my close family members, I never really try to convince people of doing things in a certain way.

06-21-2011, 09:38 AM	#62
Namekuseijin affordable chipmunk Posts: 1,290 Karma: 9863855 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Brazil Device: Sony XPeria ZL, Kindle Paperwhite	I've thought of the kind of people who wouldn't like an e-reader: those who use books as decoration to impress guests. Imagine the disgust in having a thin device all alone in a bookshelf?

06-21-2011, 11:05 AM	#67
Pomtroll Guru Posts: 822 Karma: 1341819 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Minnesota USA Device: Sony 350, Sony T1, Kindle Touch, Kindle PW1	Since I first answered this, I have converted 5 more people. Most have Kindles. I don't push any one reader but ask what they like & which store they would likely shop with. I may have sold someone on a Sony 350 because she liked how it slipped into my smaller purse.

06-21-2011, 11:13 AM	#68
Latinandgreek Warrior Princess Posts: 5,038 Karma: 9724231 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-505; PRS-350, PRS-T1, iPad, Aura HD	I have converted another two people since I last posted, with a potential third on the way.

06-21-2011, 11:21 AM	#69
DMB Old Git Posts: 958 Karma: 1840790 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Switzerland (mostly) Device: Two kindle PWs wifi, kindle fire, iPad3 wifi	I have influenced members of my family but I wouldn't OTW call it converting them. First was my daughter. I showed her at length how my K3 worked and she liked it, so she got one for Christmas. Then soon afterwards my son and DIL decided they would like one each and I think it was seeing them in the family that planted the idea. My husband is the only one I converted. He is a bit technophobic and didn't see the point of an ereader. So I installed Kindle for PC on his laptop, registered to my account, and started sending him ebooks I thought he'd like. He got quite hooked and then decided that an ereader might be more convenient. So I got him a K3, also registered to my account, charged it up and preloaded a whole lot of books. He was therefore able to pick it up and start reading immediately.

06-21-2011, 11:42 AM	#72
Pookeysgirl Wizard Posts: 1,705 Karma: 12696746 Join Date: May 2010 Device: K3, Kobo Mini	I've only converted one person so far. My co-worker really didn't understand my addiction to my Kobo until I convinced her to get a Kobo Wi-fi. She's not techy at all and it took me some time to get her used to using it. She's had it since Christmas and had to ask me this morning "How do I know if it's charging " Ummmm the bright red light at the top and the fact that it says "Charging" on the screen. She loves it though, and just won a Kobo Touch that she should be getting in a couple weeks.

06-21-2011, 12:17 PM	#73
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	My total has increased too Kobo gifted to Mom Kobo gifted to Dad Helped boss gift Sony to co-worker Sold old Kindle to aunt Sold old Libre to co-worker Helped Dad gift Kobo to stepmom

06-21-2011, 12:21 PM	#74
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,570 Karma: 204127028 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I'm guessing there's 50-60 people who have lied to me just to get me to; "shut up about the damn ereaders already."