Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Beyond Method #5

Social Cataloging is a new term for me; one that I had not thought about before this exercise, however it makes perfect sense. Why not combine tracking individual book preferences with social networking? Social cataloging is a blend of two great worlds. A person is able to keep up with their own personal library including books currently being read, what they hope to read, and what has been read. At the same time friends can be invited to share their personal favorite books and suggest new reads.

In the past I had a Library Thing account and enjoyed it; however I find doing this exercise that LT has upgraded their site to include the ability to use a book scanner. How cool is that (not that I have a book scanner at home)? I like the idea of being able to look at book reviews by readers. Nice perk that gives you an idea of whether you want to seriously consider reading a book.

Tonight I signed up for a Goodreads account and am thoroughly happy with it. The social networking options are amazing. Being able to see what friends, co-workers, and others are reading provides a measuring stick with which to determine the viability of reading a book. I find Goodreads much improved and more user friendly than Library Thing. I really like how easy it is to "add" books to your library.

I think that Goodreads would be a much better readers advisory tool than Library Thing. Even though Library Thing has a much larger support base, Goodreads provides more social networking opportunities, thereby creating the perfect tool for rating readers likes and dislikes in books. One basic essential fact is that Goodreads is simpler to use than Library Thing.

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