purpose of goodreads. and how can i use as an advantage

[meeera]

Originally Posted by barryem

Fantasticfiction's limitation seems to be the search. You have to check your spelling very carefully. A slight misspelling will prevent it from being found, unlike most searches.

I'm not saying that was your problem but it is something to be aware of.

It wasn't. The database is simply not as complete as Goodreads'. As it happens, I use the social features of Goodreads also; but ff is still not an adequate replacement for me even for book info alone.

[Oibgzfka]

Originally Posted by Atunah

After a while this creates a goodreads that is very tailored to my tastes and wants. So my home page feed is targeted. I get to find out about new books coming out in my genres from authors I like or will like. I get entertained by the funny book stuff some folks are posting. I get emails once a week on new releases on authors I have on my shelves.

Also the recommendations are now spot on for me. The more I rate, the better they get. Those recs are actually better right from my kindle for some reason. Easier to navigate too, filterable by genres one likes.

I hate facebook and I don't do social media stuff at all. But I love goodreads as its all about books. And I am all about reading.

That scares the **** out of me. Those are the qualities of Goodreads, it's easy to realize how useful they could be, in a perfect world I'd enjoy such benefits myself, but as things stand I'm really wary of anyone knowing too much about me. Just by start growing your own food in USA you can be inserted in a list of "alarmist nuts" and become a POI, so what happens to someone who display an interest in both survival books and Islamic literature? At least three of the words in the post can result in monitoring if they're sent over American servers. I know most people could care less about that, and that's ok for them, but for me, though a service like Goodreads entices me, it also gives me the creeps.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by Oibgzfka

That scares the **** out of me. Those are the qualities of Goodreads, it's easy to realize how useful they could be, in a perfect world I'd enjoy such benefits myself, but as things stand I'm really wary of anyone knowing too much about me. Just by start growing your own food in USA you can be inserted in a list of "alarmist nuts" and become a POI, so what happens to someone who display an interest in both survival books and Islamic literature? At least three of the words in the post can result in monitoring if they're sent over American servers. I know most people could care less about that, and that's ok for them, but for me, though a service like Goodreads entices me, it also gives me the creeps.

I don't think anyone has time to go through the shelves of 20 million folks to see what they have on them. I have over 5000 books on my shelves, have at it.

You can turn off anything you don't want to appear on the feed to your followers and friends. Meaning you can have it show only your reviews, or your comments, or poll voting, etc. You have total control over what shows. You don't have to do any social dealings at all. Just use it to log your readings and look up books.
I don't use my real name on any sites anyway so I am just Atunah. Anyone really care what I read? And so what if you shelf a varied topic of books. Its a book readers site after all.

I don't think you need goodreads if you are that concerned about someone watching you. You are already being watched.

[kacir]

Create an account using some generic name, if you are concerned about privacy. The name should be different than the one you use on other forums.

Now start rating books. Begin with your favorites. Goodreads server will start recommending you books. Rate those as well, if you have read them.

Now, when you do not know what to read next, or if you want to discover a new author in certain genere, just visit Goodreads and ask for recommendations in that genere. They have interesting algorithms - they look at your rated books and see what other users that rated the same books like ...

Another feature I like to use:
When I see an interesting book I look at the reviews there. Not just a number, but mini-reviews. Sometimes even a 1 star review can tell me that I will like this book because it has something I like (and the review author obviously doesn't).

You can also directly communicate with your favorite authors You can look at what other people, that you have come to know, like.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Oibgzfka

That scares the **** out of me. Those are the qualities of Goodreads, it's easy to realize how useful they could be, in a perfect world I'd enjoy such benefits myself, but as things stand I'm really wary of anyone knowing too much about me. Just by start growing your own food in USA you can be inserted in a list of "alarmist nuts" and become a POI, so what happens to someone who display an interest in both survival books and Islamic literature?

Fake name, throwaway free email address, VPN. If you're that concerned about privacy and surveillance, you're doing these things already.

[Oibgzfka]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I don't think anyone has time to go through the shelves of 20 million folks to see what they have on them. I have over 5000 books on my shelves, have at it.
[...]
[...]
Anyone really care what I read?
[...]
I don't think you need goodreads if you are that concerned about someone watching you. You are already being watched.

I'm sure technology's advanced enough so that interested parties can browse a huge database and find interesting items and patterns.
Stasi's motto was "to know everything." It gives an idea of the mindset of a kind of individual that can still be found in relevant positions.
I would enjoy a tool like Goodreads, and I have nothing to say about those who do or don't, but I'm particularly too concerned about privacy.

Originally Posted by kacir

Create an account using some generic name, if you are concerned about privacy. The name should be different than the one you use on other forums. [...]

Even an account under generic name and protected by the measures meeera mentions would be barely pseudonymous if I started feeding lots of info about my reading habits.

Originally Posted by meeera

Fake name, throwaway free email address, VPN. If you're that concerned about privacy and surveillance, you're doing these things already.

A good start that can't protect us in an environment all about sharing data about our behavior.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Oibgzfka

I'm sure technology's advanced enough so that interested parties can browse a huge database and find interesting items and patterns.
Stasi's motto was "to know everything." It gives an idea of the mindset of a kind of individual that can still be found in relevant positions.
I would enjoy a tool like Goodreads, and I have nothing to say about those who do or don't, but I'm particularly too concerned about privacy.



Even an account under generic name and protected by the measures meeera mentions would be barely pseudonymous if I started feeding lots of info about my reading habits.



A good start that can't protect us in an environment all about sharing data about our behavior.

Who is going to find out who you really are?
You know you don't have to say what you read to find out what others read.

Oh and the way I look at Big Brother watching me, they are either bored, hungry, wanting a book to read or possibly need a laugh or a hug.

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Who is going to find out who you really are?

I personally have just started using Goodreads because I have nothing to hide, but, er... Goodreads can easily tell who you are. They're part of Amazon, Kindle usage signs in to Goodreads using your Amazon account, and Amazon has your credit card number and if you use it for anything but a Kindle your physical address too.

So maybe they can't tell who you are, but they can tell where you live...

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by NullNix

I personally have just started using Goodreads because I have nothing to hide, but, er... Goodreads can easily tell who you are. They're part of Amazon, Kindle usage signs in to Goodreads using your Amazon account, and Amazon has your credit card number and if you use it for anything but a Kindle your physical address too.

So maybe they can't tell who you are, but they can tell where you live...

That's only if you join your amazon account and goodreads account, something I don't do (different email).

[DiapDealer]

None of these issues being mentioned are limited to Goodreads. If you're concerned with entities gatheting information about your personal proclivities, then your only option is to stay aff the internet entirely. What you do and what you like is no secret on the internet. Period. Sharing your reading history in Mobilread's "What Are You Reading Now" thread can be tracked by the same all-powerful entities.

You either need to eschew online technology of any kind, or you need to give up the idea that you can keep people from learning private things about you through your online activities. There is no mddle ground.

You maintain your privacy by being a private person. Not by going to public places (physical or virtual) and sharing things that can be overheard.

[Oibgzfka]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

None of these issues being mentioned are limited to Goodreads. If you're concerned with entities gatheting information about your personal proclivities, then your only option is to stay aff the internet entirely. What you do and what you like is no secret on the internet. Period. Sharing your reading history in Mobilread's "What Are You Reading Now" thread can be tracked by the same all-powerful entities.

You either need to eschew online technology of any kind, or you need to give up the idea that you can keep people from learning private things about you through your online activities. There is no mddle ground.

You maintain your privacy by being a private person. Not by going to public places (physical or virtual) and sharing things that can be overheard.

I didn't say those issues were limited to Goodreads, but I didn't think this would be the place to extend the discussion about them since this is a topic about that particular social network.

The OP asked for the benefits, someone enumerated them; I agreed, added that they entice me but that I'm particularly too concerned about privacy to benefit from them myself. Period. I didn't say my decision is the best for everyone, and all I did afterwards was to reply to what others posted.

I don't think that "you can either eschew technology entirely or accept the fact that people will learn private things about you through your online activities" is a precise statement — there's ways to elude surveillance and some gray areas, otherwise every criminal in the "deep web" would've been arrested by now.

But again, this is not the place to debate that. If the topic really interests you or anyone else so much, we can exchange PM's, otherwise let's just let it slide. I wasn't and I'm not trying to make a point, my post was an offhand comment, not a piece of advice.

[DiapDealer]

There's no such thing as the "deep web." but you're right.This isn't the venue to debate it. I was merely pointing out that your concerns about what someone could learn about you from Goodreads should be the same concerns about what they could learn about you from what you post here. And yet, you registered and are posting here. *shrug*