Cruising on Shelfari
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010In a world of social networking, the time for five-page book reviews is over. For many, their attention span is 140 characters long or less.
As an avid book reader, I want to know what others are reading nowadays. I pay more attention to what my family and friends think rather than what a specific book reviewer might think. I don’t want a long analysis on what the plot or setting symbolizes, rather I just want to know if the book is good or not. For those who agree with this notion, I recommend Shelfari.com.
Shelfari lets users display books that they have read, want to read or are reading now. Users can also be their own critic and provide their feedback on books by reviewing and rating them on a five-star scale.
They can connect their shelf with friends and see what they have in common, what they are reading and what they think of the books they’ve just read. Users can request friends to provide recommendations as well as create groups to talk about certain books.
Shelfari provides a list of most popular books being read by its user. The site is gaining popularity because of Facebook. This application is called Virtual Bookshelf and can be used via Facebook.
The web site is a good source for those who want:
– Quick easy-to-read fun reviews
– To connect with their friends and see what books they recommend
– To easily access their shelf via Facebook
– Personalized recommendations
The web site is not recommended for those who:
– Want scholarly reviews
– Lengthy analysis
Here is a sample of what Shelfari provides:
– A Chance to Connect with its Community
Although Shelfari is one of my favorite applications/web sites to use for books, there are certain things I would hope to better such as:
– An interactive live feed scheduled once a week on certain new controversial books
– A discussion panel for what readers want future books to address
– Monthly magazine that highlights upcoming books for the month