Shelfari is one forum for a global community of book lovers. Users are encouraged to share their thoughts and passions with others. After joining Shelfari, I began to add books to my shelf. In the search bar, I typed in names of books or authors. When I found the book I wanted, I clicked the "add" button. I was then taken to a page that asked, "Have you read this? I was given the opportunity to type in a review and rate the book before being taken to a new page that asked if I wanted to share my status and notes (Facebook or Twitter). I could opt to skip this information and go on to a page that asked for a character description, on that asked for my edition details, and finally a page for tagging my book. If I were only adding a book or two, I would happily take the time to include all of this information, but because I was adding many books at once, I found the process a bit tedious at first. After several book additions, I saw that I could click a box to bypass the reviews, ratings, descriptions, and tags. Afterward, when I added a book I found an "Edit" button which I could choose to click or not. I like this because now I can go back and add the information at my leisure. These features will help me connect with others in a fun and engaging manner. The shelf layout is pleasing to the eye. I can see hearts on the covers I labeled as favorites.
 |
| http://www.shelfari.com/o1514774562/lists/IsRead |
Next, I joined LibraryThing, another online service to help people catalog their books easily. This tool comes up with suggestions for what to read next. You can alternate between list and cover views.
 |
| www.librarything.com/profile/RuthanneCassidy |
 |
| www.librarything.com/catalog/RuthanneCassidy/makesyoucry |
Like Shelfari, LibraryThing allows you to rate, review, and share. I created some bookshelves in addition to the ones provided; I added categories of Young Adult, For Kids, Favorites, and Makes You Cry. See the example of the bookshelf, Makes You Cry, on the right.
I was already a member of Goodreads. You can use it to share books you read and track books your friends read. This tool is a heavy on the social aspect. You can also rate books and provide reviews. To start using it, you select books that you have read, are reading, or that you want to read and add them to "your books." Also, rating a book from a friend's list automatically adds it to your books. You begin with three default shelves: Read, Currently Reading, and To Read. You can also create your own bookshelves. I created For Kids and Would Recommend. When you find the book you want, you can either click on the stars to rate it immediately, or click on "add to my books" to choose a shelf, write a review, record the date you read the book, and note whether you own a copy. Goodreads is a large platform.
 |
| www.goodreads.com/user/show/27834425-ruthanne-cassidy |
Booklikes is designed for book lovers with their own personal webpage with blog, virtual bookshelf, and reading timeline. Booklikes gathers readers, bloggers, reviewers, and writers who can share their reviews, read updates, and find other interesting blogs. When I entered a search title and chose my first book, I was given the option to Create a Post, Add to Bookshelf, or Go to Amazon (and buy it). I could also like it on Facebook, Tweet it, or Pin it. I chose to add it to my bookshelf and was given the categories of Read, Planning to Read, Currently Reading, Wishlist, Favorite, or Private. Why would you choose Private unless maybe you were embarrassed for someone to know you were reading it? If you click Read, optional information is Started Reading date, Finished Reading date, and your Rating. I like that you can give it half-star increments, for example, 4 1/2 stars if you really, really liked a book, but didn't necessarily swoon. You can also choose and connect a photo or URL with a book on your shelf.
 |
| http://booklikes.com/dashboard |
I created a bookshelf titled For Kids. It took me awhile to figure out how to put books on the new shelf. Finally I moved from Shelf View to Book View and was able to do it quite easily. It is very similar to Goodreads.
The last one I joined was Biblionasium. With this tool I can set up a class, a group, or a grade of up to 200 students. Each student will have a unique user ID and password. I can also assign reading levels, send messages, run reports, and create parent letters. Students may write their own comments and do reviews. Educators can select to see and approve the reviews before they are posted. Teachers can set up reading challenges/lists for students. To get started, I set up a group titled Intermediate ESL. Once I added a book to the group, I could check Recommended, It's a Favorite, or Required. After I saved the book, I could rate it, write a note, or write a review. Previous student reviews immediately popped up. One thing I really liked was that you could begin typing and almost immediately choices began popping up. This would be good for students who were searching, but were not very good spellers. Another great feature is that a little animal, I think he's a squirrel dressed as a student, pops up with helpful hints. You can choose to add books to your Wishlist and perhaps parents will choose to donate them. This is definitely the book community that students would like best. Here is a shelf I created for my Intermediate ESL students:
 |
| www.biblionasium.com/classrooms/9222/book_relations#tab/all-books |
Of all the online book communities I examined, I like Shelfari the best for my personal use. It is eye-pleasing and easy to use. Once I found a shortcut to reviewing and rating, it was easy to maneuver. The simplicity attracts me. I would personally use it the most, but for elementary and middle school students, I would recommend Biblionasium.
No comments:
Post a Comment