Are ebook blogs dying out?

barryem · 10-31-2016, 09:05 PM

I've been reading a number of ebook blogs daily for quite a while and I've enjoyed them but these days they seem to be doing less and less.

Nate's The Digital Reader has a lot fewer articles than it used to. I seem to recall his saying that was going to happen because he's developed some other interests.

The Ebook Reader Blog has tapered off to a story every few days.

Teleread, probably the most active of them all in the past, is hardly doing anything anymore; a new story every 2 or 3 days and most of those just complaints about Kindles not having bold fonts.

These blogs still have interesting stories when they have them but they're so few nowadays.

I really hate to say this but I think maybe Goodereader.com is probably the best ereader blog going at present, unreliable as it is. That's not to say the others aren't reliable. They are. But so are some of Goodereader's articles. I just have to read those more carefully.

In fact it's probably the case that of these 4 blogs, over half the articles are in Goodereader.com.

Come on guys. Get with it! I'm a faithful audience and I doubt that I'm alone. Write something. I've gotten a lot of pleasure reading your articles over the years. I need you!!

Barry

Pajamaman · 10-31-2016, 09:23 PM

I think part of the problem is that there is so little innovation in the e-reader market and a shrinking number of accessible brands. I for one like a range of new innovative products and I dont see that. I see choice and innovation going backwards.

Cinisajoy · 10-31-2016, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barryem

I've been reading a number of ebook blogs daily for quite a while and I've enjoyed them but these days they seem to be doing less and less.

Nate's The Digital Reader has a lot fewer articles than it used to. I seem to recall his saying that was going to happen because he's developed some other interests.

The Ebook Reader Blog has tapered off to a story every few days.

Teleread, probably the most active of them all in the past, is hardly doing anything anymore; a new story every 2 or 3 days and most of those just complaints about Kindles not having bold fonts.

These blogs still have interesting stories when they have them but they're so few nowadays.

I really hate to say this but I think maybe Goodereader.com is probably the best ereader blog going at present, unreliable as it is. That's not to say the others aren't reliable. They are. But so are some of Goodereader's articles. I just have to read those more carefully.

In fact it's probably the case that of these 4 blogs, over half the articles are in Goodereader.com.

Come on guys. Get with it! I'm a faithful audience and I doubt that I'm alone. Write something. I've gotten a lot of pleasure reading your articles over the years. I need you!!

Barry

I have a suggestion. You are retired. You love ereaders. Why don't you start a blog?
I bet you would do good.

AnemicOak · 10-31-2016, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barryem

These blogs still have interesting stories when they have them but they're so few nowadays.

I really hate to say this but I think maybe Goodereader.com is probably the best ereader blog going at present, unreliable as it is. That's not to say the others aren't reliable. They are. But so are some of Goodereader's articles. I just have to read those more carefully.

In fact it's probably the case that of these 4 blogs, over half the articles are in Goodereader.com

If quantity is your number one thing then I suppose GoodEReader is your best bet. Just remember that one of the reasons for the quantity is that they make stuff up when there isn't enough for them to repost from other blogs.

Personally I'll never be a fan of a former pirate site.

As Pajamaman points out there is so little happening these days that it's got to be hard to find new stuff to publish. TeleRead used to be good for some how to articles and the like, but I'd imagine that it's tough there too not to repeat past content.

meeera · 10-31-2016, 10:15 PM

I like it when news blogs only post when there is actual news, instead of churning a regular output of things that may or may not matter (or exist).

barryem · 10-31-2016, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I have a suggestion. You are retired. You love ereaders. Why don't you start a blog?
I bet you would do good.

That's for the compliment but I'm retired.

Barry

Cinisajoy · 10-31-2016, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barryem

That's for the compliment but I'm retired.

Barry

You are very welcome.

darryl · 11-01-2016, 12:27 AM

I gave up on Good EReader long ago partly because the volume of stories did not make up for the fact that it seemed to publish just about anything for the sake of it, often without much regard to accuracy. But when the anti-ebook rants began that was the final straw for me.

Teleread has deteriorated badly. As Barry says, the Kindle fonts issue, though I agree, is done to death. But what has made me stop reading it is the political posts on the US Presidential Election, sometimes with ridiculous attempts to relate it to ebooks. I'm not a US resident or citizen. I do not have a vote. And I would prefer to get my US politics from more professional and less partisan sources. I may go back to it when the Circus is over. Then again, I haven't missed it. I may not.

I too would like to see more posts on the blogs, but would prefer infrequent posts to frivolous and irrelevant ones. We do have interesting times ahead in the next few years at least.

pwalker8 · 11-01-2016, 05:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darryl

I gave up on Good EReader long ago partly because the volume of stories did not make up for the fact that it seemed to publish just about anything for the sake of it, often without much regard to accuracy. But when the anti-ebook rants began that was the final straw for me.

Teleread has deteriorated badly. As Barry says, the Kindle fonts issue, though I agree, is done to death. But what has made me stop reading it is the political posts on the US Presidential Election, sometimes with ridiculous attempts to relate it to ebooks. I'm not a US resident or citizen. I do not have a vote. And I would prefer to get my US politics from more professional and less partisan sources. I may go back to it when the Circus is over. Then again, I haven't missed it. I may not.

I too would like to see more posts on the blogs, but would prefer infrequent posts to frivolous and irrelevant ones. We do have interesting times ahead in the next few years at least.

If you prefer your US politics from less partisan sources, then you are out of luck. I'm not sure there is a non partisan press in the US anymore, unless of course, your definition of non partisan is those whose views I agree with.

I suspect that writing blogs is like most hobbies, people are into it for a while, then slowly move on to other things. Plus, trying to monetize a blog is pretty tough these days. Last, as others have said, there really isn't a lot going on in the ebook world. Amazon has controlled the ebook market place for a number of years and it really doesn't look like anyone is going to challenge them anytime soon. Most changes to ebook readers and tablets are incremental now. If I were to guess, I would say ebook (and music for that matter) discover-ability is the next area of innovation.

darryl · 11-01-2016, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwalker8

If you prefer your US politics from less partisan sources, then you are out of luck. I'm not sure there is a non partisan press in the US anymore, unless of course, your definition of non partisan is those whose views I agree with.

I suspect that writing blogs is like most hobbies, people are into it for a while, then slowly move on to other things. Plus, trying to monetize a blog is pretty tough these days. Last, as others have said, there really isn't a lot going on in the ebook world. Amazon has controlled the ebook market place for a number of years and it really doesn't look like anyone is going to challenge them anytime soon. Most changes to ebook readers and tablets are incremental now. If I were to guess, I would say ebook (and music for that matter) discover-ability is the next area of innovation.

Less partisan in this case still leaves room for a good deal of partisanship!

I don't disagree with you about discover-ability. Whilst there is always the possibility of real innovation, I tend to think improvements in this area will be incremental as well. Many of the players are experimenting constantly at the moment, and what worked well yesterday often doesn't work well today. Every now and then we will see stories about a start-up that is going to revolutionise discover-ability but it simply doesn't happen.

frahse · 11-01-2016, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I have a suggestion. You are retired. You love ereaders. Why don't you start a blog?
I bet you would do good.

... wise man ...

Dr. Drib · 11-01-2016, 11:16 AM

I find them boring.

I have better things to do, like watching my toenails grow, which I find infinitely fascinating. Or watching bubbles burst in the bathtub when I take a bath.

GlenBarrington · 11-01-2016, 01:29 PM

Blogs are a lot of work, and a non commercial blogger, can find it difficult to adhere to a weekly and/or daily posting schedule.

It's EASY at first, you have YEARS of built up opinions and ideas to live off of, but eventually, you run out of the low hanging fruit.

I'm willing to bet that much of the odd behavior reported in the above posts comes AFTER the publishing schedule they set became a chore! I personally have found that if you have nothing to say, then don't SAY it! I wait until I have something to say, I think I write better that way. [Promotion deleted - MODERATOR]

ApK · 11-01-2016, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frahse

... wise man ...

Who are you calling wise man? The woman you quoted, or the man she was speaking to, who is wise for wanting to stay retired?
Or someone else?

barryem · 11-01-2016, 06:24 PM

I should probably clarify that I wasn't mentioning Goodereader because they're so good, but to point out just how desperate the situation has become. I think it's a safe bet that they're the main ereader blog on the web now. That's a dire situation.

I'm not really convinced they have nothing to write about. There's a lot to discuss about books and the ways we read them these days. There's not a lot of actual news but blogs are about more than just news.

Barry

10-31-2016, 09:05 PM	#1
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	Are ebook blogs dying out? I've been reading a number of ebook blogs daily for quite a while and I've enjoyed them but these days they seem to be doing less and less. Nate's The Digital Reader has a lot fewer articles than it used to. I seem to recall his saying that was going to happen because he's developed some other interests. The Ebook Reader Blog has tapered off to a story every few days. Teleread, probably the most active of them all in the past, is hardly doing anything anymore; a new story every 2 or 3 days and most of those just complaints about Kindles not having bold fonts. These blogs still have interesting stories when they have them but they're so few nowadays. I really hate to say this but I think maybe Goodereader.com is probably the best ereader blog going at present, unreliable as it is. That's not to say the others aren't reliable. They are. But so are some of Goodereader's articles. I just have to read those more carefully. In fact it's probably the case that of these 4 blogs, over half the articles are in Goodereader.com. Come on guys. Get with it! I'm a faithful audience and I doubt that I'm alone. Write something. I've gotten a lot of pleasure reading your articles over the years. I need you!! Barry

11-01-2016, 01:29 PM	#13
GlenBarrington Cheese Whiz Posts: 1,986 Karma: 11677147 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Springfield, Illinois Device: Kindle PW, Samsung Tab A 10.1(2019), Pixel 6a.	Speaking as a Photography Blogger . . . Blogs are a lot of work, and a non commercial blogger, can find it difficult to adhere to a weekly and/or daily posting schedule. It's EASY at first, you have YEARS of built up opinions and ideas to live off of, but eventually, you run out of the low hanging fruit. I'm willing to bet that much of the odd behavior reported in the above posts comes AFTER the publishing schedule they set became a chore! I personally have found that if you have nothing to say, then don't SAY it! I wait until I have something to say, I think I write better that way. [Promotion deleted - MODERATOR] Last edited by Dr. Drib; 11-01-2016 at 04:00 PM.

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10-31-2016, 09:23 PM	#2
Pajamaman Wizard Posts: 2,861 Karma: 10700629 Join Date: May 2016 Location: Canada Device: Onyx Nova	I think part of the problem is that there is so little innovation in the e-reader market and a shrinking number of accessible brands. I for one like a range of new innovative products and I dont see that. I see choice and innovation going backwards.

10-31-2016, 10:15 PM	#5
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,814 Karma: 68407974 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	I like it when news blogs only post when there is actual news, instead of churning a regular output of things that may or may not matter (or exist).

11-01-2016, 12:27 AM	#8
darryl Wizard Posts: 3,108 Karma: 60231510 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura H2O, Kindle Oasis, Huwei Ascend Mate 7	I gave up on Good EReader long ago partly because the volume of stories did not make up for the fact that it seemed to publish just about anything for the sake of it, often without much regard to accuracy. But when the anti-ebook rants began that was the final straw for me. Teleread has deteriorated badly. As Barry says, the Kindle fonts issue, though I agree, is done to death. But what has made me stop reading it is the political posts on the US Presidential Election, sometimes with ridiculous attempts to relate it to ebooks. I'm not a US resident or citizen. I do not have a vote. And I would prefer to get my US politics from more professional and less partisan sources. I may go back to it when the Circus is over. Then again, I haven't missed it. I may not. I too would like to see more posts on the blogs, but would prefer infrequent posts to frivolous and irrelevant ones. We do have interesting times ahead in the next few years at least.

11-01-2016, 11:16 AM	#12
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 45,441 Karma: 59592133 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour	I find them boring. I have better things to do, like watching my toenails grow, which I find infinitely fascinating. Or watching bubbles burst in the bathtub when I take a bath.

11-01-2016, 06:24 PM	#15
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	I should probably clarify that I wasn't mentioning Goodereader because they're so good, but to point out just how desperate the situation has become. I think it's a safe bet that they're the main ereader blog on the web now. That's a dire situation. I'm not really convinced they have nothing to write about. There's a lot to discuss about books and the ways we read them these days. There's not a lot of actual news but blogs are about more than just news. Barry