CrowdedMinds a.k.a. Rita

See article at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/06/book-lover-stereotypes_n_4392221.html?ref=topbar 

This is the thread I started. 

I was looking for a book online, found it on Google together with my review. Since it has the name Petra X which I haven't used that since the new GR censorship and deletion ToS started, that's a couple of months at least. I do not use Google books for anything at all.

I do not have the option to share reviews checked. In fact it is greyed out so I don't even have that option. What is the point of having a checkbox for sharing if GR is going to ignore it and allow 'partners' to use the reviews anyway? 

I wonder how long this has been going on. I wonder how many commercial websites our reviews are being used to sell books on without our knowledge or giving permission?

***

I've just done a Google book search, There are 10 pages, over a 1,000 reviews you are sharing. 

This is such a breach of trust. Please revoke your permission to share my reviews with any and all sites that are using them. 

***

This is what Goodreads has to say on sharing,  

"Goodreads allows some partner sites access to book reviews via an API. This access is granted in the spirit of openness with the goal of spreading the love of reading. Current partners include Sony, Google Books, WorldCat, and more. Uncheck this box if you don’t want the text of your reviews to appear on these sites."

This is what it ought to say,

"Goodreads allows some partner sites access to book reviews via an API. This access is granted in the spirit of openness with the goal of spreading the love of reading. Current partners include Sony, Google Books, WorldCat, and more. There is no way of opting out of this so if you don't want us to share your reviews, don't post them on Goodreads."

***

I wonder when reviews will start turning up on Amazon in the same way as Google? If they only post a few lines with a link according to what another member says about about fair use, they can just use all the reviews ever posted on Goodreads without telling the members anything.  Just like the censorship and deletion change to the way the ToS was previously applied. Don't tell anyone anything, just go ahead and do it.

I would like to know what BookLikes policy is on sharing reviews with other websites? Particularly Google as if I delete all my reviews on GR, I don't want to find the same situation here.

Hey all! What are you currently reading? You can now update your reading progress with two clicks and share it with your friends. You’ll see new option on Dashboard in Currently Reading Section, just look on the right. It’s Update button :-)

Once you click Update you can fill up your reading progress, save and continue reading (update).

Or you can post it and share on your blog and among your friends (update and publish).

Both options are visible once you click Update in Currently reading box.

If you choose Update, you’ll change reading progress that is visible on your blog. And you can go back to reading :)

If you choose Update and publish, you’ll be moved to writing box with book attached, your current reading progress and social media switch on (green icons on the right) if you had connected them. If you didn't connect your Facebook or Twitter, you can do it in Settings/General. To turn off social media in writing box, click on icons and make them grey (deactivated).

Updates:

Discussion rooms

- We've made changes in discussion room and threads, now you can receive notifications about newly set discussions in a given group. If you wish to be informed, please go to Group page and choose “Yes” in notification section. Then once a new discussion is created, you’ll get a note about it.

- You can also made adding tags to your posts in discussion easier. We've made changes to list of tags:)

- It also easier to keep conversation going and answer to previous posts, we have new look for Reply posts: 

Messages:

Your personal messages page (PM) received new features of searching through messages, paging and deleting messages.

Tips:

- To find other reviews of a given title, go to book page OR type book title in Tag Search Box on Dashboard on the right. Then you'll see all writings about this book, including different editions and book sources. It also nice way of finding new blogs to follow :-)

- If you wish to find more blogs similar to yours, please take a look at your book blog categories and choose only those which are really relevant. Remember that the categories should reflect your reading taste and books you’re reading and reviewing on your blog. Best to choose several genre categories that you’re active in. Then you'll be able to find other bloggers with similar reading taste faster. 

To look through your book blog categories, go to Settings/Blog and click edit categories. And to look through blogs, go to Explore. 

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving Day!  And Thank You for being with us :-) 

Boy or boy how do I relate to this memoir! You would think that it's based on me. With one exception: I detect a feeling of guilt in between the lines that the author writes. I've never, ever had that with my choice to remain childless by choice. Perhaps it's because of her upbringing in the neurotic US of A? I'm happy that I share neither the guilt-trip nor the need to defend my choice of a life with no kids against the breeders.

I voted for this book as a write-in vote for the GoodReads 2013 Choice Awards as the write-in option in the Non-Fiction and Début GoodReads Author categories (to be found at the bottom of each category). I encourage you all to do the same.
A (to my knowledge) legal copy of this book can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7aqkiun0mefodqz/Off-Topic%20-%20The%20Story%20of%20an%20Internet%20Revolt.pdf

Join me in voting this book in the goodreads Choice Awards 2013, in categories of "Best Debut Goodreads Author" and "Best Nonfiction".

Screenshots of my votes (I actually did not have anything in mind for either category as not a bug nonfiction reader and would have no idea which author debuted on goodreads):

Not my brilliant spurt of imagaination, originated with Lobstergirl at https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1499741-important-note-regarding-reviews?page=123#comment_86192680

Off-Topic: The Story of an Internet Revolt

Vote for Off-Topic in the Nonfiction category of the Goodreads Choice Awards!

I also voted it for GR debut author work.

Obviously you will have to vote it as a write-in, but it's easy - you start typing "off-topic" and it will autocomplete. 

This was from Lobstergirl in the monster thread.

Reblog at will!

That is all

Write people, real with issues.

We're making organizing your books and writing reviews easier and faster. Today's Thursday release includes several updates concerning exclusive statuses, your reviews and reblogs.

On Your Shelf

NEW: Change shelf into exclusive status

Form now on you can change existing thematic shelf into exclusive status. Then the books will be shelved only with this exclusive status (former shelf) and any other default status (read, planning to read, currently reading) will be removed. This means that you don't have to manually reset the default statuses, it will be done automatically. 

To Change the existing thematic shelf into exclusive status, point on the shelf name and click the icon .

This change works in both ways. This means that you can make new status (former shelf) a thematic shelf again. However, the default statuses will not be brought back. Be careful and double check that you really want to change the chosen shelf into exclusive status and reset default statuses. 

Here are several other options available on your Shelf page:

1. Create exclusive status

You can still add new status to your Shelf (e.g.: Re-read) and shelve new book with this status. Here's how:

1. Just create new status (click +add exclusive status, type name and Enter).

2. Search for a book in search box on the top, click on it and select "Add to bookshelf" in book pop up.

3. Select new status in Edit Statuses sector and Save. 

OR

If you don't want to change the whole shelf into new status, you can manually reset default status on several books and keep those books with new status only. If you wan to reset the default status follow these steps:

1. Create new exclusive status on your Shelf page 

2. Click on the book on your Shelf.

3. Edit your statuses and select the one that fits you.

4. Click on the default status.

5. Click on the green default status on tab in book pop up - it will go white (deactivated).

6. Save.

Below are screens that show how it looks like in the pop up.

Default Read and Exclusive: 

Exclusive only:

2. Create thematic shelves

Thematic shelves help you to organize your books and keep those from the same series, author, genre together. To add new thematic shelves: click +Add new Shelf, type name and hit Enter. Then click on book on your Shelf and Edit shelves in book pop up. Remember to Save.

You can also rename and remove thematic shelves.

Hover over the Shelf name and you'll see two icons: "x" and little pencil. When you click on a pencil, you'll be able to edit shelf's name and if you select 'x', you'll delete the shelf. Your books will not be deleted, the books will stay on your Shelf page with default status but not on the thematic shelf (it will be gone). 

3. Table view

Table view shows your books in a list an has numerous edit options:

- Add to Shelves: You can select several books and add them to a given thematic shelf or change status.

- Sort by: You can sort by author, title, add date, read date, ratings and cover to add missing cover images.

- Remove selected: You can delete several books from your shelf, they will be removed from your shelf page permanently. 

- Add: you can add ratings, shelves to single book, read date, review. 

Reviews

NEW: You can Go from your Shelf straight into Review writing mode. 

Now when you want to create a review straight from your Shelf, the rating stars marked on your Shelf will be auto-transferred to your writing mode and the text will be automatically marked as a Review. 

You can uncheck the review marker and change ratings any time in the writing mode. 

Reblog update

We made reblogs more transparent. From now on every time you reblog a given post (review, text, photo, quote, URL, video) an information about it and a link to original author of the post will be given on the top. 

More updates concerning reblogs are also in progress. As well as many many more :-)

Have you been Censored?

Join the revolution

http://booklikes.com/groups/show/70/censored-by-goodreads

Death threats for choosing a life without children??? I got to read this one!

I guess that the good ol' US of A is the  place where something like this would and could happen! The Puritan roots run deep unfortunately!