:skyecade online

I’m having a lot of fun over at goodreads.com. I’ve always been a fan of the concept of social networks, but I have yet to find one that I really enjoy. Until now. I think one problem is the fact that other social networking sites are too broad in their social networking scope. I tend to like niches, or little organized groups over large, free-for-all networks.

But it’s not enough just to be a niche. Flixter.com is a social networking site devoted to movies. The problem with that site is that its design and content attract a younger crowd. It’s sort of like a Myspace for movie lovers. Case in point, Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift averaged 4 stars. — Seriously?

Goodreads is a little more neutral, like Facebook rather than Myspace. And the simple fact that it’s a website devoted to the love of books, helps it attract a much more sophisticated crowd. My only criticism would be with regard to the website’s design and usability. Though it’s not awful, it’s definitely not great. They need to make it a little more intuitive to navigate around the site. The website could also use a Web 2.0 face lift; it looks very 1999ish.

Other than that, I think it’s a really fun site with a ton potential. It was launched in January of 2007, so it’s still young in Internet years. The user reviews (though not quite as good as Amazon’s user reviews) are extremely helpful, and I have to imagine they will become even more helpful over the years. If you’re a bookworm like me, go check it out. I’m going to try shelfari.com as well. Shelfari is another social networking site for book lovers, and is bit more established than Goodreads. Shelfari also seems to have all of the Web 2.0 features that I mentioned were lacking in Goodreads. But I can’t be sure until I try it out for myself.

Speaking of books, I just finished Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. It was fan-freaking-tastic. I would highly recommend it.

     

Filed under: Books, Cyberculture
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