Social reading?

[HarryT]

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The name of the site has been deleted. You must not use MobileRead to advertise your site, or your products; we have very strict rules about advertising.

Here's the thing about social reading and social media: social reading is about discussing ideas, while social media is about broadcasting ideas. Unfortunately the two do not mix very well in the implementation that I've seen (Kobo):

• "Interaction" with people who you know (e.g. on social media sites like Facebook) tends to be uni-directional. The only way to discuss anything is to go to their website.
• Discussions tend to be with people who I don't know (e.g. people who bought a particular version of a particular book from a particular store).

P.S. HarryT, I understand your point on advertising, but it is also making it hard to comment on this company's product.

[garrybuck]

It would be interesting to see how this discussion relates to personality type. I'm an introvert, and when I read I disappear down the rabbit hole into another universe. The LAST thing I want is to be distracted by interacting with anything or anybody.

Once I come out of the rabbit hole I might choose to talk to someone about it, but I'm very choosy about who I choose to talk to. This is classic introvert behavior. (notice that I said someONE)

If you want advice on "social reading", (for me the concept is an oxymoron) you might want to look for more extroverted people. Where would they be; I dunno, a karaoke bar? Do those people read? I really don't know.

[QuantumIguana]

I'll discuss books, but the process of reading them is solitary. I may be up at 3 AM at a sci fi con discussing Barsoom, for example. Of course, I may not remember much of it the next day.

[piperclassique]

I see where you guys are coming from, but don't you think there's some room for the web and social media to come into play

Nope

And I hate the vapid comments on the stupid Kobo app designed for illiterates, using it with great reluctance and deep loathing when there is NO other way to get the book I want. Which I then read with bluefire or ibook.

[paulsalter]

I like the Kobo implementation of this

I dont use any while actually reading, but when finishing reading I like to see any comments and sometimes put my own on.

not sure why some people who don't like these social reading things need to be so rude to people who do

[MCSmarties]

Sorry to be blunt towards somebody's brainwave, but NO. Just no.

As many other have said on this thread, my books are my own to enjoy while I read them. In fact, the idea of suddenly having highlights from "friends" popping up while I'm reading a fascinating novel is enough to give me nightmares!

Of course, I still enjoy having spirited discussions about books.
But there are already plenty of available mechanisms for that, such as fan sites, forums - or even *gasp* face-to-face discussions over a beer! No need to "modernize" this with yet another "closed", over-hyped social media mechanism.


Having said all that, I could definitely see value in something like this for nonfiction, such as sharing annotated textbooks. I bet that the academic publishing industry would go absolutely ape over such an idea though!

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Reading is specifically an individual pursuit. Literature discussion groups are social, (such as this website). I abhor "social media" such as facebook, google+ etc.

We need an antisocial network where people can ignore each other.

[tompe]

Talking about books is an important social activity for me. And I do not see why that cannot happen when reading a book. Sometimes I know that friends are reading or will read the same text as me. And leaving a comment in the text that they will see when getting to that part would be interesting and would stimulate discussions about books. I go to sf-cons to talk about books and reading. So most of my reading is done in a social context with a lot of interactions about books.

[Belfaborac]

The only social reading I do is in the waiting rooms of my doctor and dentist and thankfully that's not even particularly social. Any endeavour to make my reading more social will be spurned and avoided.

[ShellShock]

I don't get it. Why should I care what someone I have never met thinks about what I'm reading? What makes the mundane opinions of a random, anonymous person out there worth my time?

[DiapDealer]

I can't see a way of leaving a comment in a text (that the next/another person who reads it will come across) without influencing or nudging (even if unconsciously) the way the passage may be perceived by that reader. Which in turn, might change the way future in-book events are interpreted--had they been experienced sans external input. Instead of people coming to post-read discussions from a myriad of different directions, you wind up with a group of people coming to a more or less homogenized perception of the work before the final page is even turned. Yuck.

It's like that guy at the movies behind you (who saw the film last week) who keeps whispering to his date; "remember that bit. It's important later."

[paulsalter]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I can't see a way of leaving a comment in a text (that the next/another person who reads it will come across) without influencing or nudging (even if unconsciously) the way the passage may be perceived by that reader. Which in turn, might change the way future in-book events are interpreted--had they been experienced sans external input. Instead of people coming to post-read discussions from a myriad of different directions, you wind up with a group of people coming to a more or less homogenized perception of the work before the final page is even turned. Yuck.

It's like that guy at the movies behind you (who saw the film last week) who keeps whispering to his date; "remember that bit. It's important later."

nope, never seen this, comments about later in the book are hidden until you reach that point (on the kobo app)

but if you never want to read about what happens in a book, hope you never look at reviews or info posted in forums either

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by paulsalter

nope, never seen this, comments about later in the book are hidden until you reach that point (on the kobo app)

Dude, why are you arguing with me? I'm not even talking about the Kobo app.

I was commenting in regard to this and nothing more:

Originally Posted by tompe

Sometimes I know that friends are reading or will read the same text as me. And leaving a comment in the text that they will see when getting to that part would be interesting and would stimulate discussions about books.

Emphasis added by me.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by paulsalter

nope, never seen this, comments about later in the book are hidden until you reach that point (on the kobo app)

but if you never want to read about what happens in a book, hope you never look at reviews or info posted in forums either

And the comments I thought about was things like "did that not remind you of book X" or just whatever is in my mind not relating to the book. I also said that these kind of comments would be just to one person.