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why did you join the book forum?

J

jenn

New Member
aside from the obvious, why an online bookforum? and is it what you expected?
i know that for me initially i spent alot of time on the general book chat but now seem to log on and go right for the general chat first.
i worked in a bookstore for years and always got my fill of talking books but when we moved, couldn't find a similar job that offered the flexibility and i don't have the time to join a bookclub.
i was shocked to discover that simply everyone wasn't reading what i was!!! :rolleyes: but i was also surprised at how easily offended people can get (myself included). perhaps regardless of the convienant little smilies, tone of voice is lost with written comments and so something meant as funny and sarcastic is misinterpretted. also i think what we choose to read can be so personal and so when someone offers a critique of something we love, we take it personally instead of in the sense it was offered, as an opening for dialogue.
 
Joined the forum to talk about books, which I guess is the apparent reason, not really sure I have actually done that though. :) I have found out that I have not read many of the books discussed here, so I put them on my list and hope to get around to them.
Now I just use most of my time spamming decent posts.. :D
 
jenngorham said:
aside from the obvious, why an online bookforum? and is it what you expected?
i know that for me initially i spent alot of time on the general book chat but now seem to log on and go right for the general chat first.
i worked in a bookstore for years and always got my fill of talking books but when we moved, couldn't find a similar job that offered the flexibility and i don't have the time to join a bookclub.
i was shocked to discover that simply everyone wasn't reading what i was!!! :rolleyes: but i was also surprised at how easily offended people can get (myself included). perhaps regardless of the convienant little smilies, tone of voice is lost with written comments and so something meant as funny and sarcastic is misinterpretted. also i think what we choose to read can be so personal and so when someone offers a critique of something we love, we take it personally instead of in the sense it was offered, as an opening for dialogue.
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honestly...?? I joined this forum because nobody i know reads the books i do and still most of the people in here read different books, but its nice to hear different opinions!! but you're right the first thing i do too, is going to the general chat!! :D
 
I joined the forum, amazingly, to talk about books! :D

I spend my time writing top quality posts that are all very serious and never do any of that horrible spamming stuff like Hay does! ooooh no! Me spam? pppft. Never!!!!! ;)

No... off to talk about the penguins...

TTFN
 
I joined the forum to talk about books and other things related to the topic name.

Before I joined I read through a couple of topics and noticed everyone is very friendly, they let the new people fit in. Its also civerlised forum, not like other forums I have joined.
 
SillyWabbit said:
I joined the forum, amazingly, to talk about books! :D

I spend my time writing top quality posts that are all very serious and never do any of that horrible spamming stuff like Hay does! ooooh no! Me spam? pppft. Never!!!!! ;)

No... off to talk about the penguins...

TTFN
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You like the book forum because of me ;)
 
I typed “book forum” into search engine and this one was the second hit.
I came seeking knowledge from authors.
When I didn’t find what I was looking for right away, I started having fun.
Ruffling a few feathers. Getting to know who’s here.
Found some help from an author.
Still having fun. Think I’ll stay a while.
See who else I can bring to life.
 
Because my wife isn't the least bit interested in hearing me blab about the latest of the many novels I'm reading :( . So I figured I could blab to a bunch of total strangers on the internet. ;)
 
Sell Sword said:
Because my wife isn't the least bit interested in hearing me blab about the latest of the many novels I'm reading :( . So I figured I could blab to a bunch of total strangers on the internet. ;)
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jap i like to hear almost every blab, so you welcome to spam us with infos of all this great stories you've read!! :D
 
I wanted to talk about books. Books have always been my business, first as a student, then as an editor, now as an author, so I wanted to continue talking about books during those times when I was not actually writing. The forum has been my watercooler at work for a while, as I work at home and live in the middle of nowhere.

I guess I read a certain, analytical way, and I’ve always talked about books that way with my friends and family. They all read a lot and talk about it. Some are writers, some are historians, some are college professors, others just read the way I do. I don’t think talking about books beyond whether you “like” them or not is highbrow or difficult, it just takes more than 2 seconds of thought and a creative mind.

Found the forum, found a few interesting threads, started to talk about books, and was constantly thwarted by members who persistently dumb down threads, curtail interesting conversations, and insist on—even justify at length—their right to do so.

Most of the people who got into discussions at a level I enjoyed have since left, probably for reasons related to this kind of experience, unless they were censored and banned because of talking about something they care about or just voicing frustration. Apologies to Ashlea, True@1stlight, Mike (who persists in writing brilliant reviews despite a lack of feedback), Nostferatu Man, Magemanda, and a load of other present members who try to discuss books. I suspect there are a lot of people who come here hoping to talk about books and feel alienated and confused by the dominance of other kinds of posts.

But, because I’d made a few friends, I gradually took the attitude of “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” writing more than my share of nonsense. I feel deeply ambivalent about that.

Hey, I realize that some people are just having fun and will think I am rude and mean to say these things. Well, it’s just my opinion, and I am obviously in the minority. I just find it incredibly boring to read yet another thread of lists of favorites, tabledancing, favorite biscuits, mascot animals of choice, etc.

To be clear, I am NOT referring to long, involved discussions of issues like education, reading, raising children, the political landscape, etc. I find those discussions thoughtful, stimulating, and usually productive in some way. Ditto the original writing on the board.

Can someone PLEASE give Mike a prize for his brilliant, regularly posted reviews? IMO, his reviews should be featured in a special spot “Mike’s Monthly”
 
novella said:
and was constantly thwarted by members who persistently dumb down threads, curtail interesting conversations, and insist on—even justify at length—their right to do so.
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Yep that would prabably be me, among others. If someone where to look through all my post, they would see that a very low percentage of them are actually serious. I will agree with you that its too much, but I'm pretty much addicted to making idiot replies, but I do sometimes try to keep out of a serious discussion, though I often don't succeed.
Perhaps something could be done to make sure that it's not all threads that end up in penguins and hobnobs. Anyone got any suggestions? (Banning me is not going to solve it all :D)

Did anyone say my attitude implies double standards?
 
hay82 said:
Yep that would prabably be me, among others. If someone where to look through all my post, they would see that a very low percentage of them are actually serious. I will agree with you that its too much, but I'm pretty much addicted to making idiot replies, but I do sometimes try to keep out of a serious discussion, though I often don't succeed.
Perhaps something could be done to make sure that it's not all threads that end up in penguins and hobnobs. Anyone got any suggestions? (Banning me is not going to solve it all :D)

Did anyone say my attitude implies double standards?
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I've gotta laugh at this Hay, and really appreciate what you're saying. I too have posted my share of idiocy, and it can be fun if you're in the mood.

I do wonder how many people come here looking for book talk and think "what's all this nonsense? This isn't about books at all."

I'm not aiming at segregation, which I guess the board break-down is supposed to do anyway. But I do feel like days can sometimes go by before anyone says an insightful word about an actual book.


Thanks for this post (and for not jumping down my throat for speaking my mind about what I think is an important issue)!!
 
novella,
i appreciate what you are saying. while i too enjoy the antics, it can be a bit alienating if you are not in the "in" crowd. there seems to be a lot of inside jokes that if one questions, depending on who you get, you can feel foolish for asking. it's oddly clique-ish.
also and this is not just blowing smoke up your ass, i read alot of your posts, i may not reply or get involved, simply for lack of information on my part, but i find you really interesting. you would be one of the first i would expect to give an honest thoughtful answer.
 
I love how as parents we tell our kids to always tell the truth. That the truth is always the best. You'll never get in trouble for telling the truth.

Then for some reason as we get older we start worrying about peoples feelings. And before you know it you're outright lying to someones face because your worried that you might upset them.

That's why kids are cool. They'll tell you your breath stinks, or you look fat, or you're going bald...

In a forum truthful opinion is what it's all about. Tell the truth and put it out there. Sometimes the truth hurts.
 
I, like everyone else, came here to talk about books. I'm known as a freak when it comes to my almost obsessional reading. So few people I know read as fast or as much so it's hard to have many conversations. I am in a book group as well, but we only meet every 6 weeks and does not cure me.

As far as the fun that goes on here... it's a bit off-putting to begin with but I have fund that most are welcoming and friendly. Also, there's an equal mix of fun and books... although books ARE fun.

I think it's fantastic to know we bookworms have fantastic personalities and are varied. Let's not let stereotyping get in the way!
 
Motokid said:
I love how as parents we tell our kids to always tell the truth. That the truth is always the best. You'll never get in trouble for telling the truth.

Then for some reason as we get older we start worrying about peoples feelings. And before you know it you're outright lying to someones face because your worried that you might upset them.

That's why kids are cool. They'll tell you your breath stinks, or you look fat, or you're going bald...

In a forum truthful opinion is what it's all about. Tell the truth and put it out there. Sometimes the truth hurts.
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Are you referring to something in particular on this thread, or is this just a general comment?
 
I joined because I love books and reading. I'm also a member of a couple of other online groups that tend to be much more focussed on just discussing books - serious 80 -90% of the time.

I joined the Book Forum back in 2001 when Darren was just getting it started. He asked me to be a moderator fairly early on and I can tell you now that I sure as heck didn't know what I was getting into. I've thought about quitting several times, but guess I'm just a glutton for punishment. What I've truly learned is the old adage that you can NEVER please everybody. We (the mods) have been accused of being too lax ('why don't you just ban him!") to being uptight, anal and dictatorial ('why was that f***ing post deleted?"). Discussions have been accused of being anything from too serious and pretentious to too fluffy and inane. This isn't an attempt to gain sympathy for the moderators (well, maybe a little), but an attempt to put things in perspective.

Over the years, lots of members have come and gone for any number of reasons - and you'd be surprised at how very few have been banned. What I've noticed most is that the prevailing mood, depth and type of discussion changes all the time - due, almost entirely, to the prevailing active members. When we first started - with only a handful of members - the moderators tended to direct and start most of the threads. This was often out of necessity, just to get some kind of discussion going. Hence some very old threads of the "what's your favourite book" type.

Anyways, back to my point, and I do have one! :) It's something I've said time and again. If you want a serious discussion, start one. If you want to talk about fluff, talk about it. If other members are interested, they'll join in. Respond to what you're interested in and ignore what you don't like. What some think is uproariously funny, others will think is offensive. The membership is made up of a wide range of ages from a variety of countries and cultures. There is no way that all threads will appeal to everybody.

I'm hoping this doesn't sound like a rant because it's not meant to be. It's meant to encourage those of you who want serious discussions to keep posting, but allow that silliness does tend to creep in.

ell
*and I only used 1 smiley*
 
I joined after I got out of college, got settled into my job, and started reading again. I wanted to see what other people were reading. I was hoping to find some new authors or new genres, but so far I'm finding I just like my nonfiction books about human history.

My second reason for joining was to have some new friends. I have friends here but not a lot of them read or want to talk about anything other than sports, work or fluff. Here, I've found people that see serious events and actually enjoy discussing them. That's a nice change.

My third reason for joining here was to hear some international voices. I know plenty of people from other countries but rarely get a chance to discuss serious topics with them. It's nice to get international points of view.

I've really enjoyed this board. This is a great community. I feel being here has taught me how to express myself better and given me more insight into human nature. Thanks for tolerating my longwinded self.

I find myself most often in general chat, but only because I don't feel that I'm very well read. I don't think I have enough literature under my belt to offer up anything significant in the book discussions. Plus, as I said earlier, I like nonfiction, and there doesn't seem to be as much going on with that genre here.
 
I joined to discuss books and as a way to pass time during slower periods at work. I love chatting about books, and sharing recommendations etc.

However, I don't love the way that you can post something serious and go back to check the thread and find it's been derailed by people talking about penguins, or sporks, or how much that person hates accountants/students/everything.

And I don't love the way there are definite cliques. I mean, I suffer from office politics in my job. At my dance class, people will whisper and laugh behind others' backs. I was hoping to avoid that on an Internet book site, but clearly people feel the need to belong to a special little gang in every situation.

I really really like and value a few members input on these boards and will regularly read everything they write (including books reviews etc). However, the vast majority seem to troll just to increase post count (which is not a competition, people, BTW!)

So there is the truth - or at least from my perspective.
 
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