Goodreads' HUGE Error
Was it too much to ask, world, that I have just ONE FREAKING WEEK of normal news before I had to cover a GIGANTIC INTERNET EXPLOSION??? Apparently so, as Goodreads has issued a new set of crazypants restrictions rules for those of us who frequent the site created mainly for readers authors.
And in case you were thinking, 'Oh great, so you police the readers, but the authors get to sip the blood of a thousand innocent reviewers and revel in their new power!' This is part of the new author's guidelines:
Oh, yeah, that's totally mean, Goodreads. Those authors better watch their steps! How about you don't let authors comment on reviews AT ALL. Yeah, I'm being serious here. Authors should just NOT. So how 'bout you just block that little feature? Because that is pretty much how drastically you're changing things for reviewers.
I know there are authors like me on the site, who frequent it for the sake of marketing and advertising, who use it to interact with their fans and hopefully keep their opinions about reviewers to themselves. Maybe they are even there as readers, too (I know I am). Regardless, Goodreads is was always a site for READERS. Look at what the site says about itself (boldness is mine for the sake of emphasis):
Nowhere in that description are authors mentioned. Here is what Otis Chandler says about his own experiences and the reason he started Goodreads in the first place:
If I'm talking to my friend about what books I like, I'm going to exaggerate, or tell them what I think about the author personally, or use gifs to describe my joy, hatred, excitement, etc. I'm not going to censor myself or want authors to call me up on the phone and chew me out about it. I just want to state my opinion for my buddies and they can do what they want with it.
Confession time, guys. I have read authors on the BBA list. DESPITE THE REVIEWS OF MY BLOGGER FRIENDS. *gasp* I know, right? My point is, you can't tailor Goodreads to meet the ever-changing opinions of a certain group of people. You can't delete the shelves of users and police reviews for disapproval of authors. I mean, you can, but it's a bad idea.
Sure, I want everyone on Goodreads to get along. I even get that Goodreads might want to make a cohesive site where authors and reviewers can dwell hand-in-hand and skip on the beach barefoot while gazing soulfully into each other's eyes. But sadly, this is unrealistic. When you try to put people who provide a product for sale on the same footing as people who evaluate that product for others to read, YOU WILL CREATE DISORDER, ANGER, AND BITTERNESS. There is no antidote. It will happen again and again and again. Because according to the rules of the internet, that place is filled with flamers and trolls. No, really. I read that on the internet.
Obviously, Goodreads has never read the rules of the internet. There are quite a few of them, so I won't note them all here, but perhaps Goodreads could take a short moment to glance at this one:
Goodreads, you may be sick of drama (not as sick as I am, I assure you) and you may think that making a simple set of rules will fix everything, but it won't. Because when you start policing EVERY LITTLE THING that people do, when you start interfering with the freedoms they enjoyed in the first place, they will leave your ass as quick as you can say, "Booklikes, anyone?"
PS- I am giving it a couple of weeks to see what Goodreads does in response, because frankly, I like my fans being able to interact with me and send me messages, etc. But I'm also trying out booklikes. So here is my booklikes profile, for those of you who are also headed over there: katecopeseeley.booklikes.com
Delete content focused on author behavior. We have had a policy of removing reviews that were created primarily to talk about author behavior from the community book page. Once removed, these reviews would remain on the member’s profile. Starting today, we will now delete these entirely from the site. We will also delete shelves and lists of books on Goodreads that are focused on author behavior. If you have questions about why a review was removed, send an email to support@goodreads.com. (And to answer the obvious question: of course, it’s appropriate to talk about an author within the context of a review as it relates to the book. If it’s an autobiography, then clearly you might end up talking about their lives. And often it’s relevant to understand an author’s background and how it influenced the story or the setting.)
And in case you were thinking, 'Oh great, so you police the readers, but the authors get to sip the blood of a thousand innocent reviewers and revel in their new power!' This is part of the new author's guidelines:
Please flag reviews rather than responding directly to them. Should you respond to a negative review in a manner that is harassing, intimidating, or otherwise insulting to the reviewer, your account may come under review for deletion.
Oh, yeah, that's totally mean, Goodreads. Those authors better watch their steps! How about you don't let authors comment on reviews AT ALL. Yeah, I'm being serious here. Authors should just NOT. So how 'bout you just block that little feature? Because that is pretty much how drastically you're changing things for reviewers.
I know there are authors like me on the site, who frequent it for the sake of marketing and advertising, who use it to interact with their fans and hopefully keep their opinions about reviewers to themselves. Maybe they are even there as readers, too (I know I am). Regardless, Goodreads is was always a site for READERS. Look at what the site says about itself (boldness is mine for the sake of emphasis):
Goodreads is the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations. Our mission is to help people find and share books they love.
Nowhere in that description are authors mentioned. Here is what Otis Chandler says about his own experiences and the reason he started Goodreads in the first place:
One afternoon while I was scanning a friend's bookshelf for ideas, it struck me: when I want to know what books to read, I'd rather turn to a friend than any random person or bestseller list.
So I decided to build a website – a place where I could see my friends' bookshelves and learn about what they thought of all their books.
If I'm talking to my friend about what books I like, I'm going to exaggerate, or tell them what I think about the author personally, or use gifs to describe my joy, hatred, excitement, etc. I'm not going to censor myself or want authors to call me up on the phone and chew me out about it. I just want to state my opinion for my buddies and they can do what they want with it.
Confession time, guys. I have read authors on the BBA list. DESPITE THE REVIEWS OF MY BLOGGER FRIENDS. *gasp* I know, right? My point is, you can't tailor Goodreads to meet the ever-changing opinions of a certain group of people. You can't delete the shelves of users and police reviews for disapproval of authors. I mean, you can, but it's a bad idea.
Sure, I want everyone on Goodreads to get along. I even get that Goodreads might want to make a cohesive site where authors and reviewers can dwell hand-in-hand and skip on the beach barefoot while gazing soulfully into each other's eyes. But sadly, this is unrealistic. When you try to put people who provide a product for sale on the same footing as people who evaluate that product for others to read, YOU WILL CREATE DISORDER, ANGER, AND BITTERNESS. There is no antidote. It will happen again and again and again. Because according to the rules of the internet, that place is filled with flamers and trolls. No, really. I read that on the internet.
Obviously, Goodreads has never read the rules of the internet. There are quite a few of them, so I won't note them all here, but perhaps Goodreads could take a short moment to glance at this one:
13. The harder you try, the harder you will fail.
Goodreads, you may be sick of drama (not as sick as I am, I assure you) and you may think that making a simple set of rules will fix everything, but it won't. Because when you start policing EVERY LITTLE THING that people do, when you start interfering with the freedoms they enjoyed in the first place, they will leave your ass as quick as you can say, "Booklikes, anyone?"
PS- I am giving it a couple of weeks to see what Goodreads does in response, because frankly, I like my fans being able to interact with me and send me messages, etc. But I'm also trying out booklikes. So here is my booklikes profile, for those of you who are also headed over there: katecopeseeley.booklikes.com
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