From TechCrunch:
“Goodreads,the site that lets you share the books you’ve read, are reading, and want to read, says it has just hit the 10 million member mark. That means the company has doubled its registered user base in a little more than a year … “
The article quotes Otis Chandler, the co-founder and CEO, attributing the growth to new social media and book discovery features—features which, they promise, will be expanding in the coming year.
I have had mixed success in the past with merging my reading and social media habits. Kobo’s reading stats and Amazon’s popular highlights features are both intriguing and I have found them interesting, but I can’t use Kobo’s features on my Amazon books, nor Amazon’s features on my Kobo ones. A site like Goodreads, which allows users to create their own catalogue and hence use all the features on all their books, might have better traction in the long run. But of course, it depends on what feature set they role out and how it compares with other offerings.
Do you use social media features when you read? Which do you—or would you—find helpful or interesting? Leave your comments below!
I love Goodreads but don’t do the social thing with it. I list and rate the books I read but really it is just for myself. It is the reviews which are good on Goodreads. Often I go to them after I have read a book to see how others have felt about it, most especially if the book is unusual in any way. So maybe that is social in a way but I don’t know any of these people, just know that Goodreads tends to have insightful reviews which often delight me with their perception.