Goodreads - Page 2

Ravensknight · 08-20-2010, 02:37 PM

I don't see it working out, to be honest. Buying THEIR reader just to participate in their world? I think it is a cool idea, but needs to be more agnostic and open...

Joseph Mitchell · 08-20-2010, 05:19 PM

I like goodreads. The site is much deeper than it appears. There are forums like this one, but for almost any topic, not just books.

Nate the great · 08-20-2010, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

Well, Hammy is so much cuter than Hamster RAGE [against the machine].

and after reading the opening piece, I realized, isn't this thread about copia?

So Nate, what is your experience on copia? I'd be interested in hearing if you think it is good enough to go through the trouble of creating yet another account to join and keep track of...

I'm not a book group kind of person, but I think I'd like Goodreads over Copia.

viviena · 08-20-2010, 10:38 PM

Does GoodReads have something similar to LibraryThing's Early Reviewers programme? I have an account on GoodReads I haven't touched in some time, but all the enthusiasm for it here is tempting me to check it out again.

dpayment · 08-23-2010, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Is anyone here an active member of Goodreads? I'd like to get your opinion on Copia. I have a beta invite I can share (several, actually).

As I understand it (I've only been a member for a couple hours), Goodreads is a social networking site for bookworms (plus a lot more). I'd like to know what you think of Copia.

So far, I've not been able to garner very much current info on the Copia. They say they have (if you read their tweets on thecopia.com) 6 new ereaders available, but no mention of pricing, availability or anything. Aside from their tweets, they haven't updated the pages in months, but if you try to tweet about it, they apparently decide not to post your tweet. I guess they don't want negative publicity, but so far as I'm concerned, they are their own worst enemies. I've had fairly frequent contact with Cooper Chen, the president of Innoversal, who are releasing the Papyrus eReader and the Lattice tablet (with Pixel Qi screen) the beginning of September. Despite numerous mailings to the Copia, I've heard zippo!

Not very social for a social network, if you ask me.

Anyway, they're still in contention for a new ereader for me, if they ever release one (and not the 5" colour LCD, I want either e-ink or sipix,) but that's getting less and less likely with each passing day.

All that having been said, if you still have any of the beta invites left, I'd appreciate a chance to try it out.

Thanks,
Dan

kcmay · 08-23-2010, 08:23 AM

I'm a member at Goodreads too, and after a few days of flailing around, I found myself liking it.

Quote:

Her's what I see as the problem with their ecosystem idea. I already have all this stuff gathered in one place. It's called my computer.

Exactly. I checked out Copia and from what I can tell without being a member, it's not for me. Thanks for the offer, though!

astra · 08-24-2010, 12:29 PM

I am on Goodreads since Feb 2009.
Love the website. It helps me to keep track of my TBR list and read books.

SeaBookGuy · 08-24-2010, 01:39 PM

I'm one of the moderators of its Audiobook forum, if you listen to those, please feel free to join!

kcmay · 08-24-2010, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by viviena

Does GoodReads have something similar to LibraryThing's Early Reviewers programme? I have an account on GoodReads I haven't touched in some time, but all the enthusiasm for it here is tempting me to check it out again.

Goodreads does have a giveaway, but it's for printed books only. The giveaway is intended for pre-release or recently-released books. As far as I can tell, Goodreads encourages reviews on giveaway books, but doesn't demand it. Here's what they say:

Quote:

You are not required to review the book if you win a copy. However, we encourage you do to so, as it's the reason the publishers are giving us free books in the first place. People who review the books are also more likely to win more advance copies in the future.

LibraryThing seems to be more adamant about recipients writing reviews.

brainycat · 08-24-2010, 07:31 PM

I like GR a lot. I come here for information about technology, and hang out on GR for the conversation with other readers. I had a hard time navigating and keeping up with the book recommendations on MR, and I gave up.

The group system on GR helps keep things organized, and it's easy to meet people with similiar interests. I describe GR as "like facebook, but for literate people"* It's my primary social site. Whenever ereader technology comes up in a discussion, I always point people to this site.

*no offense meant to facebook afficianados.

dcptcons4evr · 08-24-2010, 09:18 PM

I didn't know about goodreads but just checked it out and like it, thanks

viviena · 08-24-2010, 10:13 PM

Thanks for your reply, kcmay, that's good to know. I like the Early Reviewers programme because they do give away the occasional ebook (and often books are available for Australia), but you're right about their insistence on reviews.

I think I'll check out GoodReads then! I like LibraryThing for its robust cataloguing features, but the social aspects of GoodReads seem stronger, or at least more well integrated with the other aspects of the site.

Care · 08-25-2010, 10:26 AM

I am addicted to Goodreads! I am there any chance I get extra computer time. I have not only found many new amazing books that I probably never would have read if I didn't see my friends reviews, but I have met wonderful people through groups.

I love epic fantasy, urban fantasy, and young adult genres and not very many of my real life family or friends read these (if they read at all). On GR there are people and groups for every genre and love. I love how it is a combination of amazon reviews and facebook. When I read reviews at other places, I don't know if the person reviewing has similar taste to mine or not. At GR I have friends whose reviews I trust.

I have never heard of the Copia thing. Doesn't sound like I'd be too interested in it though.

queentess · 11-19-2010, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by queentess

I'll let you know when I get the invite

Oh my. Just got my invite today. Three whole months? I nearly forgot about this thing. I may try it out.

queentess · 11-19-2010, 10:47 PM

Ok, not impressed. There's no way I would use this site. I find it incredibly difficult to navigate, and it's designed more like a bookstore than a social site or book review site.

If you can find the book you're looking for (the search is very slow), then you have to locate the version you want; they're not combined. There's a big ADD TO CART button on the first page of the book, but there are no reviews and the rating scale is... unreadable. It's a bar with a 1 and a 5 and some colors, but I have no idea what it represents. There's also something called a "community value", but it's 0 on all the books I looked at, so I'm not sure what this does. Correction, it's a 47 on Ender's Game. But I still have no idea what this represents. Can't click on it, and there's no FAQ or About page that I could find information on.

I looked up a Robin Hobb book. There's a "Similar Reads" section, but of the first 4 books listed, 3 are the same book with different covers.

Oh, wait, I have to click this other button for the reviews. Ok. Hmm. All the reviews are from LibraryThing, and it's very difficult to associate a review with a particular person. On goodreads I can go by name or avatar, both clearly visible. On copia the name is written in very teeny letters at the end of the review, which is odd because EVERY OTHER FONT ON THE SITE IS GI-GUNDOUS. And the name is not clickable, so I can't see if this person has any other books in common with me. Nor can I leave a response to their review, or mark it as helpful, or really anything I should be able to do on a review and discussion site. I also can't go to just the 1-star reviews or just the 5-star reviews. They are automatically sorted by most recent date, and you can either show all reviews or only your friends' reviews; those are the only options.

Everything I initially click on isn't clickable, so I have to step back and think "ok, where am I supposed to click to go to this thing?" The interface is graphically ok, but I have major issues with it's functionality and ease of use. It looks very "Apple".

Has the same Tags and Book Status as goodreads; Status is even has more options, which I like.

I did a search for any discussion group with "fantasy" in the name, and it came up 0 results, but did suggest one group that is about some group called "The Inklings", which do not read fantasy. I can understand that if the site is in beta it won't have many discussion groups, and they won't be as well established as those on goodreads, but some of the groups have posts dating back to May and everyone seems to have abandoned them.

I can't even figure out how to compare my books with someone else. I intentionally added two books that Nate had in his list, and it shows me that we have two books in common, but it does not show me my rating or his. There's no easy way to compare.

From what I can tell (and I may be wrong on this point), the Discussion groups don't have the ability to read books together. There's no clear way to say "we're reading this book this month and will discuss it". That's something I really love about goodreads, being able to have a virtual book discussion. (My local library has great discussions, but never about SFF books.)

And as one final kick in the pants, every time I glance up at my Copia browser tab, I think it's the Netscape logo...

11-19-2010, 10:47 PM	#30
queentess Reading is sexy Posts: 1,303 Karma: 544517 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: none	Ok, not impressed. There's no way I would use this site. I find it incredibly difficult to navigate, and it's designed more like a bookstore than a social site or book review site. If you can find the book you're looking for (the search is very slow), then you have to locate the version you want; they're not combined. There's a big ADD TO CART button on the first page of the book, but there are no reviews and the rating scale is... unreadable. It's a bar with a 1 and a 5 and some colors, but I have no idea what it represents. There's also something called a "community value", but it's 0 on all the books I looked at, so I'm not sure what this does. Correction, it's a 47 on Ender's Game. But I still have no idea what this represents. Can't click on it, and there's no FAQ or About page that I could find information on. I looked up a Robin Hobb book. There's a "Similar Reads" section, but of the first 4 books listed, 3 are the same book with different covers. Oh, wait, I have to click this other button for the reviews. Ok. Hmm. All the reviews are from LibraryThing, and it's very difficult to associate a review with a particular person. On goodreads I can go by name or avatar, both clearly visible. On copia the name is written in very teeny letters at the end of the review, which is odd because EVERY OTHER FONT ON THE SITE IS GI-GUNDOUS. And the name is not clickable, so I can't see if this person has any other books in common with me. Nor can I leave a response to their review, or mark it as helpful, or really anything I should be able to do on a review and discussion site. I also can't go to just the 1-star reviews or just the 5-star reviews. They are automatically sorted by most recent date, and you can either show all reviews or only your friends' reviews; those are the only options. Everything I initially click on isn't clickable, so I have to step back and think "ok, where am I supposed to click to go to this thing?" The interface is graphically ok, but I have major issues with it's functionality and ease of use. It looks very "Apple". Has the same Tags and Book Status as goodreads; Status is even has more options, which I like. I did a search for any discussion group with "fantasy" in the name, and it came up 0 results, but did suggest one group that is about some group called "The Inklings", which do not read fantasy. I can understand that if the site is in beta it won't have many discussion groups, and they won't be as well established as those on goodreads, but some of the groups have posts dating back to May and everyone seems to have abandoned them. I can't even figure out how to compare my books with someone else. I intentionally added two books that Nate had in his list, and it shows me that we have two books in common, but it does not show me my rating or his. There's no easy way to compare. From what I can tell (and I may be wrong on this point), the Discussion groups don't have the ability to read books together. There's no clear way to say "we're reading this book this month and will discuss it". That's something I really love about goodreads, being able to have a virtual book discussion. (My local library has great discussions, but never about SFF books.) And as one final kick in the pants, every time I glance up at my Copia browser tab, I think it's the Netscape logo... Last edited by queentess; 11-19-2010 at 11:02 PM.

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08-20-2010, 02:37 PM	#16
Ravensknight Serpent Rider Posts: 1,123 Karma: 10219804 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: Sony 350; Nook STR; Oasis	I don't see it working out, to be honest. Buying THEIR reader just to participate in their world? I think it is a cool idea, but needs to be more agnostic and open...

08-20-2010, 05:19 PM	#17
Joseph Mitchell Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 40000 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Pennsylvania, US Device: PC, other	I like goodreads. The site is much deeper than it appears. There are forums like this one, but for almost any topic, not just books.

08-20-2010, 10:38 PM	#19
viviena Evangelist Posts: 412 Karma: 520610 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Canberra, Australia Device: Currently Kobo Clara HD and Aura One, iPad	Does GoodReads have something similar to LibraryThing's Early Reviewers programme? I have an account on GoodReads I haven't touched in some time, but all the enthusiasm for it here is tempting me to check it out again.

08-24-2010, 12:29 PM	#22
astra The Introvert Posts: 8,307 Karma: 1000077497 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500	I am on Goodreads since Feb 2009. Love the website. It helps me to keep track of my TBR list and read books.

08-24-2010, 01:39 PM	#23
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,015 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	I'm one of the moderators of its Audiobook forum, if you listen to those, please feel free to join!

08-24-2010, 07:31 PM	#25
brainycat PocketBook 302 FTW! Posts: 141 Karma: 398 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Seattle Device: Pocketbook 302, upgraded from PRS-600	I like GR a lot. I come here for information about technology, and hang out on GR for the conversation with other readers. I had a hard time navigating and keeping up with the book recommendations on MR, and I gave up. The group system on GR helps keep things organized, and it's easy to meet people with similiar interests. I describe GR as "like facebook, but for literate people"* It's my primary social site. Whenever ereader technology comes up in a discussion, I always point people to this site. *no offense meant to facebook afficianados.

08-24-2010, 09:18 PM	#26
dcptcons4evr Avid Reader Posts: 33 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Kansas City,MO Device: kindle3	I didn't know about goodreads but just checked it out and like it, thanks

08-24-2010, 10:13 PM	#27
viviena Evangelist Posts: 412 Karma: 520610 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Canberra, Australia Device: Currently Kobo Clara HD and Aura One, iPad	Thanks for your reply, kcmay, that's good to know. I like the Early Reviewers programme because they do give away the occasional ebook (and often books are available for Australia), but you're right about their insistence on reviews. I think I'll check out GoodReads then! I like LibraryThing for its robust cataloguing features, but the social aspects of GoodReads seem stronger, or at least more well integrated with the other aspects of the site.

08-25-2010, 10:26 AM	#28
Care Aes Sedai Posts: 659 Karma: 46166 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Aura and Kobo Mini, had a Nook, NOOKcolor, Nook STR.	I am addicted to Goodreads! I am there any chance I get extra computer time. I have not only found many new amazing books that I probably never would have read if I didn't see my friends reviews, but I have met wonderful people through groups. I love epic fantasy, urban fantasy, and young adult genres and not very many of my real life family or friends read these (if they read at all). On GR there are people and groups for every genre and love. I love how it is a combination of amazon reviews and facebook. When I read reviews at other places, I don't know if the person reviewing has similar taste to mine or not. At GR I have friends whose reviews I trust. I have never heard of the Copia thing. Doesn't sound like I'd be too interested in it though.

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