I HAVE been doing a lot of reading. Just a quick note. I DID meet my reading goal of 52 books last year in the Goodreads reading challenge. I don't know how I did on my other challenges. I decided it was too much trouble to actually track them! I'd rather be reading, LOL!
A couple of things have happened in the past few weeks that have ignited my interest in starting up my blog again. The first is the announcement of the end of Google Reader. That is how I have been following and keeping up on my blog reading and will be a real loss to me. And I know I am not alone there. I have been using Feedly for the past week or two. It took a little getting used to, but I think it is going to work out fine for me. I actually prefer using it on my Mac. It will take a little more getting used to on the iPhone, but I'm sure it will be fine.
Check it out if you are looking for a Google Reader replacement. You can take a look at it here. And if you have something you like better, please leave a comment with a link so I can check it out!
The other big news, of course, is the sale of Goodreads to Amazon. That one is really a major blow to me! I really appreciated having an INDEPENDENT place to share reviews and get book news. I'm not sure why it bothers me that Amazon now owns Goodreads, but it does.
For now, I am keeping my account while I see how it plays out, but I am also investigating alternatives. I opened a Library Thing account and have transferred my Goodreads collection there. It will take a bit of time to get it organized the way I want, so for now, I have it marked as 'private'. I will change that, though, when I get it the way I want.
So far, I think I like it. It definitely is not as 'visual' as Goodreads, so the set up took a bit for me to get used to, but I really like how I can set collections AND use tags. I think this gives a lot more flexibility when I search for one of my books. And it seems to me that it will be easier to keep track of a book I 'used to own' once I let it go than it is on Goodreads. I also like that it gives Library of Congress info easily if you select that view.
There are a couple of downsides to Library Thing, though. One is that Amazon does have an interest in Library Thing, too, so if my reason for leaving Goodreads is to 'escape' Amazon, it is not totally working. However, though some have reported that Amazon owns 40% of Library Thing, information on Library Thing says it is much lower. Apparently Amazon 'inherited' their interest when they bought Abe's Books (which I didn't know they owned!).
The other big thing is that, as far as I know, none of my friends or fellow bloggers are there. One thing I really like on Goodreads is that as soon as I sign in, I can see recent activity of my friends, and their reviews are always at the top of the list. Eventually some of my friends may show up on Library Thing, but until they do, it will be a lonely place!
So for now, I plan to keep both Goodreads and Library Thing going. But obviously, it will be a lot of work to constantly add reviews to both sites, so I'm sure at some point, I will let one or the other just 'fade away'. Library Thing actually charges a fee if you want to keep more than 200 books active with them, but it is very low. You can get a lifetime membership for $25. And temporarily they are offering upgrading anyone who joins now a one-year 'grace' period to try them out, so you can story unlimited books without paying. It only lasts until Friday, but it is a great time to give them a try. So even if you think you MIGHT be interested at some point, give them a try NOW.
You can get more info here.
HAPPY READING!
Welcome back!
ReplyDeleteI'm still looking for a Google Reader alternative. One of the things that I don't like about Feedly is that you have to download something, which doesn't really work for me.