Building chat & participation > Likes and Comments
Jason, I actually left a different group a few years ago for this reason. Even as a mod I don’t always like the books the group chooses. That is why we have a mod’s choice that we collaborate on, usually one different from the group read. I would keep chatting here. We can even use this as a straight chat about anything, not just books. And feel free to nominate books. That is first come first serve. If your book is there it might win a poll.
Im pretty active on Instagram (“Bookstagram”) and I’ve found a community of Jewish bookstagrammers there, with whom I’ve developed a relationship. I haven’t (yet) found that here. I also haven’t read most of the books selected here. Either because I’m not interested or I can’t read it in the time scheduled.
Thank you for the informative responses. We can learn from this. I believe you both care, otherwise you may not have responded. Our goal is to create that "sense of community".
We have two ways our books are chosen. The first is by member nominations as Brina said; the second is that we sometimes choose the books. We do however, choose the genre.
Please- we are very open to suggestions. I cant think of another way without it turning into an emailing mess. :)
It is... frustrating when the book you want doesn't win. So...in this group we offer many topics that go hand in hand with that "community feeling" to become involved with including some specific discussion like "What are You Reading, Remarks' ( and plenty more) that welcomes any comments on books you have read, or want to read that you may feel members find interesting. Peruse the topics when you have a chance.
I feel badly about the relationship aspect. One area that works is the "Introduce Yourself" topic. It works because of the sharing of common interests.
I don't do any social media except this, so I cant compare.
But Im curious if either of you are in other groups on GR's. and if you find them similar.
We give a timeline for the purpose of having a book every month. Many members jump in with comments months after a winning book is read.
As for political books, we try to stay away from that arena in our picks. Ha, Its a delicate subject these days especially when trying to grow this group and own a platform.
This is a diverse group from all walks of life. We even had a member who said he was the Messiah. It was short lived, but would have interesting. :)
When vetting books, they are in paperback format for those who are observant and kindle can recharge over the weekend.
Not sure this helps, but wanted you to know that we care.
Louise, if you read a book from our shelf outside the time scheduled, please look up its discussion and comment if you feel like it. I'm glad you've hung in there with us! As Brina said, you can also use this thread or one of the other discussions for comments. For instance, you might tell us more about your bookstagrammers and what makes it works for you on Related Book Clubs. The latter thread was being used mostly by a member to link us to the author presentations she arranges, but it doesn't have to be used that way.
...Ha! -- Stacey & I commenting at the same time once again. Sometimes the coincidence can get to seeming like a tiny touch of magical realism....
We can also use this thread just to schmooze. Especially in this climate it’s good to have a space to chat as Jews from all walks of life. I’m excited today because the Yankees signed a Jewish pitcher. A Jewish star in New York. So fun. Not about books but it generates discussion. Please use this thread to chat about anything.
Jason wrote: "Stacey asked if I'm on any other groups on Goodreads, and the answer is no. Like her, I don't use social media (I don't even have a cellphone), and this is the first book club/chat room I've partic..."Im happy you responded Jason.
Well, can I say you are doing great in participating here :)
Stacey B wrote: "Jason wrote: "Stacey asked if I'm on any other groups on Goodreads, and the answer is no. Like her, I don't use social media (I don't even have a cellphone), and this is the first book club/chat ro..."Jason,
I know some of your books.
Are you still in Tuscon??
Trying to send a PM and failing terribly. :)
Stacey B wrote: "Trying to send a PM and failing terribly. :)"This site has many bugs- I dont recieve notifications or even the ones under the bell. Ugh
Jason I can get messages. You can send one to me and I’ll forward it to Stacey unless you want your info out in the open. Goodreads is old school. Why im one of the lucky ones it still works for I have no idea.
Jason wrote: "The Goodreads platform is pretty clunky and antiquated, I agree. If you (Stacey) are unable to send me the message, I'll post my e-mail address. I don't care if others see it because I can always d..."Clever response!!
My husband has our landline all rigged up to keep out junk calls and unknown numbers. So I'm always telling him we'll miss out on something significant.So watch out, Jason. You might miss an important call!
I only have a cell no landline and it’s only because I have 4 teens so we’re on the same plan. But I do use the National do not call list and it works wonders. Jason feel free to chat here about any books you’re reading even if it’s not the group read. I’m sure you will bring many insights to whatever book you happen to be reading.
Jason wrote: "Not only do I not have a cellphone, but I also rarely answer the landline. No call is that important. ... Tell your husband, Jan, that he has the right idea blocking calls. You don't want to inadve..."I know he does, Jason. We couldn't survive all the junk calls. Originally we kept it because it worked when the power went out, but that's no more. I was just joshing with you over not answering the call from the wannabe Messiah but forgot to add an appropriate emoticon.
P.S. re Brina's above comment, you can also comment on the What are you reading? thread, or on Books I've been hearing about. Might be that one you voted on that didn't win or any other one, whether Jewish or not.
I do miss the Goodreads emails. It was my reminder to go to the site and post something. I don't always read the book of the month, either because I have no interest in the topic or time issues. Sometimes I read it moths later. Many times I won't read any of the books on the list. I do enjoy the suggestions and comments on other books and have followed up with those. I do have a question. How did the group get started on Goodreads? Is it necessary that we stay on this platform if it isn't doing what we want?
Irene, those are good comments. I know Stacey and I both don’t use social media besides this site. The group honestly could do what we want it to do as long as people check in and comment and it doesn’t need to be about the book of the month. This thread could be a chat just about how we are doing. I think that is a good starting off point.
Irene wrote: "I do miss the Goodreads emails. It was my reminder to go to the site and post something. I don't always read the book of the month, either because I have no interest in the topic or time issues. So..."Irene, hi.
The group was started years ago by someone named Shira.
After she started the group she became very busy and had no time to participate, so members were on their own. Jan and I became frustrated and at some point had to get permission to take it over as it was stagnant. Because Shira started this translates into an ownership even though she is no longer involved, meaning her name stays on it. With some hard work and baby steps we grew this important group. Many people who weren't affiliated joined the group to renew here- a sense of judaism. Sort of like an "Aha moment". We added Brina as a moderator in July . For some members we are a catharsis and some use the group to track books. After October , members used the the topic Israel at War to grieve and pay respects to those who were lost.
Btw, I dont read every book that wins either. I pick and choose like everyone else. I would be devastated if this group fizzled. Its a safe place for opinions other than books, based on our topic discussions listed on the home page.
Im curious and concerned about the comment regarding "staying on this platform if it isnt doing what we want.".
How can we help? Brina was correct when she said both of us only do GoodReads for social media.
Please tell us what is missing. That would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance.
I took Irene's comment above as asking why we were on Goodreads instead of some other book discussion site, of which I know there are some. And I've seen some Goodreads discussion by other groups about moving. Apparently there are difficulties there, too, and no other platform provides a similar space. Besides Goodreads I'm only on Facebook, and so I myself haven't tried out the various other sites. I can just imagine how cumbersome it would be to uproot and move. I've been on Goodreads since 2011, at which time a virtual book site on Facebook was shutting down and sent its members over here. On Facebook there was no social interaction involved. I was only doing thumbnail book reviews. I was relatively unencumbered then!
Jason wrote: "The fact that Goodreads no longer sends out notifications when Club members post comments is incredibly annoying. Who was the genius at Goodreads who thought users would appreciate having to scroll..."Hi Jason-
This is one of the problems we are having. Not many members go to their groups to check unless they are prompted.
Jason wrote: "That's what it seems like. The number of posts has dropped considerably."Jason, I went on the moderators support group last night and read a few of the same suggestion from other mods. They said to log out of GoodReads and any other devices one uses for it ( I know you only have one ) and then log back in. This has worked for some of them. But of course.. not for me. :(
Stacey B wrote: "Jason wrote: "That's what it seems like. The number of posts has dropped considerably."Jason, I went on the moderators support group last night and read a few of the same suggestion from other mo..."
Make sure you click to box underneath to "notify me when people comment". Not sure if that makes a difference, but it cant hurt.
Jason wrote: "I've clicked on the box for notifications in the past, but it doesn't seem to work."Did you log out and log back in?
It doesnt work for me, but it does for many.
Jason wrote: "That doesn't work for me, either."So frustrating.
Ok, I was told to also go into notifications on the bell. Click it above to see "all notifications." Then log out, wait a sec or two and log back in. IDK- Im not a tech girl. Im just annoyed.
Jason wrote: "Thanks, Stacey. Your suggested fix seems to have worked. The notification of Judith's post from two hours ago appeared on the bell for me."Wonderful- glad it worked for you. Im still suffering. :(
A few days ago I went back through all the Jewish Book Club literary discussions to check "notify me when people comment." It took a while.
I wouldn't make it through all the past monthly reads.
And to think it all used to happen automatically!
I recently joined this book club and haven't read the books yet, but I have to say that even though I'm fairly regular in my GoodReads reviews, this format for a book club is unpleasant to me as it inhibits a free flow of conversation as well as makes it difficult to get to know people.However, I do plan on getting up to speed on the current books and posting comments about them next Month.
Welcome, Tree! I agree with you, and it would be nice if Goodreads overhauled their groups and chat (along with many other parts of the site). I don’t see it as the fault of the group, rather GR’s outdated platform. Personally, I think a Discord server would fit the needs of our group very well, but there is also a disadvantage of taking the conversation off Goodreads, and separating the conversations from the reading challenges, etc. Plus Discord may not be intuitive for everyone. But I wanted to share this thought.
Yes Goodreads is outdated. I agree. I am mainly still here because I’ve reviewed books for over ten years now and need that log of my books. I don’t do challenges and am here and two other groups that are small and personal. We can all help by participating in more threads. Yes Reddit or discord would be more current but not everyone uses those. As long as people participate we can change the algorithm and hopefully Goodreads will see the value of groups.
Lenny and Tree,You made great comments. Do you have any suggestions that we might incorporate in this group? Have you perused all the threads? We are all ears. Brina is right when it comes to Grs.
I cant even get them to flag mean spirited comments. Ugh!
I’ve been following this group for years but I almost never participate. I guess it’s because whenever I check the upcoming reading it never appeals to me. I should have participated in the rabbi mysteries because I own all of them and I love them-I guess I just got lost then. I also very much wanted to participate in the Malamud stories month but I couldn’t find anything close to a reasonably priced copy and I was leaving town and couldn’t rely on a library copy. I was surprised because I thought in the past there was a listing for reasonable availabilities ,but I couldn’t find any. I also tried at many in-person used book stores and Malamud is just not being widely read any more so I found nothing. Maybe I will return to the titles that have interested me and then read through the discussions.Having said this I’m really happy this group exists because I don’t know of any other online Jewish book clubs. I think it’s important t that we exist. I am always grateful to the moderators for keeping this forum alive for so many years-you strike me as being very thoughtful and very enthusiastic moderators. I’m going to try and participate more because the topics,if not always the titles,appeal to me. Now I need to find out what the February book is.
I’m much more of a fiction reader and when it comes to non-fiction I’m really not an issue orientated person-the Barbra discussion completely flew by me. The march book idea excites me because I think a lot of Jewish writers have written family sagas and growing up my mother used to read all of them and so I still have a soft spot for writers such as Howard Fast.
Thank-you to the moderators and to the participants who have kept this group alive.
As for good-reads being out of date-this seriously surprises me,
. I guess I’m just not aware of what is out there because I thought good reads was the biggest thing.
Alan wrote: "I’ve been following this group for years but I almost never participate. I guess it’s because whenever I check the upcoming reading it never appeals to me. I should have participated in the rabbi m..."Thank you so much Alan,
We so appreciate your honest comments, and do remember how active you were.
I, personally, thought I was failing due to the lack participation in any discussion and imput; thinking people stopped caring about this group. Lack of notifications arent helping us either.
It's difficult for us to think we own a crystal ball and choose the perfect genre /book that 1,245 members all like.
We have other topics that arent necessarily related to books. Its a way to connect to each other and keep the bond going. Thank you for this post. Don't be a stranger. :) Shabbat Shalom Alan-
'"If you want to destroy a culture, burn a book"
Ray Bradbury
How odd. I really thought I had commented in this thread, but I see that I didn't...My own lack of participation stems from since completing graduate school I am constitutionally incapable of reading anything to deadline, ever, and my reading is almost never related to Judaism in any way (except Holocaust non-fiction, and even I cannot read that all the time)
That being said, I love knowing that the group is here. I have been trying to check in more often, although I suspect that hasn't been going well - but I will keep trying, and will comment as seems appropriate...
Thank you, mods, for all you do.
Deena wrote: "How odd. I really thought I had commented in this thread, but I see that I didn't...My own lack of participation stems from since completing graduate school I am constitutionally incapable of rea..."
Thanks for your kind words, Deena. And thanks for being a member. We are happy you're here as well as others who don't say much. One of our goals is to be a resource. ❤️
Deena wrote: "How odd. I really thought I had commented in this thread, but I see that I didn't...My own lack of participation stems from since completing graduate school I am constitutionally incapable of rea..."
Deena,
Im adding on to Jan's comment and thank you as well. You are sensitive and I appreciate it. Its been very frustrating for our group to have conversations when there are few, if any notifications. We try to persevere regardless through lack of discussion. Pop in for any discussion topic if you have a chance. As with all the other groups, not every winning book is "right" for every member as we have a diverse group, yet respect the reading laws of the Orthodox and the like.
Stacey B wrote: Pop in for any discussion topic if you have a chance. As with all the other groups, not every winning book is "right" for every member as we have a diverse group, yet respect the reading laws of the Orthodox and the like."I am indeed trying to remember to look in more regularly (see? here I am!)
I agree entirely that title selection can be incredibly difficult. I nearly always review the polls, but if I genuinely think I won't care for any of them, i don't vote - because if I'm not going to read it anyway, why on earth should other be inflicted by my choice, lol?
Deena wrote: "Stacey B wrote: Pop in for any discussion topic if you have a chance. As with all the other groups, not every winning book is "right" for every member as we have a diverse group, yet respect the re..."I totally agree!!!!!
Thank you.
Deena,it took me over ten years to regain my love of reading after university studies, You see this all the time-university ruins people’s love of reading. Now I love to pick up the trashiest book available just to stick it to those of the cult of university. I almost went back to do a PhD in a field I love,but then remembered nothing destroys a passion like studying it at a university.
Alan wrote: "Deena,it took me over ten years to regain my love of reading after university studies, You see this all the time-university ruins people’s love of reading. Now I love to pick up the trashiest book ..."Not sure I agree with that as a generalization. One has to work at a PhD, thesis and all that enhances a passion to use for "possibly"professional purposes. Then again, it could be a hobby such as my love of books. Being a mod is the best I can do without a professional backround in literature, Writing a book is out of the question for me. :)
Do we have a thread of external resources (other than Good Reads, I mean) about Jewish books/reading/literacy events/sites?Not everyone is on multiple social media platforms, so perhaps it could be helpful for some of our folks to learn *here* about things that are going on elsewhere on the internet?
For example, a couple of times I have mentioned Yiddish Book Center events, and today I am "attending" a YIVO about Lucy Dawidowicz, who helped form what we now know as Holocaust Studies. But I also get regular e-mails from several Jewish film festivals, Holocaust museums, and other Jewish organizations - and I'm sure I'm not the only one who might have items to share - NOT to plug an organization, but to share potential resources with others.
Thoughts?
Deena wrote: "Do we have a thread of external resources (other than Good Reads, I mean) about Jewish books/reading/literacy events/sites?Not everyone is on multiple social media platforms, so perhaps it could ..."
Hi Deena,
Im sorry to say we do not. We do, however, on occasion post articles that communicate events. For me, this is the only social media Im on. I know NY Jewish Weekly posts events as does Moment Magazine, 72 Faces, and the Jewish Book Council. Im sorry :(
Stacey B wrote: Hi Deena,Im sorry to say we do not. We do, however, on occasion post articles that communicate events. For me, this is the only social media Im on. I know NY Jewish Weekly posts events as does Moment Magazine, 72 Faces, and the Jewish Book Council. Im sorry :("
Don't be sorry! I was asking to know if there was already a spot where I could post such things, rather than putting them wrongly, or not putting them at all (which is also an option, of course), so thank you for the response!
Deena wrote: "Stacey B wrote: Hi Deena,Im sorry to say we do not. We do, however, on occasion post articles that communicate events. For me, this is the only social media Im on. I know NY Jewish Weekly posts ev..."
Ha..Deena-
Ok, Im not sorry :)
I misinterpreted your question.
I would put it under the discussion topic "Literary Chat" -Things Im hearing about-
Does that make sense?
Not sure where to post this:Trying to vote in the poll and the vote isn't recorded. Looks like no votes have been recorded. 🤔
Icy_Space_Cobwebs wrote: "Not sure where to post this:Trying to vote in the poll and the vote isn't recorded. Looks like no votes have been recorded. 🤔"
Hi ISC
Im so sorry. I posted the poll myself.It opened tonight at around 9 pm EST. Its still not recording???
Its actually there twice- once as a test that I thought I could delete. Going to check it again now.
Alan wrote: "I’ve been following this group for years but I almost never participate. I guess it’s because whenever I check the upcoming reading it never appeals to me. I should have participated in the rabbi m..."Alan wrote: "I’ve been following this group for years but I almost never participate. I guess it’s because whenever I check the upcoming reading it never appeals to me. I should have participated in the rabbi m..."
Alan,
Although its been almost a year, I appreciate your comments. I am told today is the beginning of removing private messages, which is being done in waves. Another thorn in my side. :(
I will do what it takes to keep this going. We need to have a presence whether members participate or not. I can update the group a bit, but cant plead with GRds. I know Lenny has suggested Discord twice in different threads. I was waiting the second time when she suggested it to see what GRds does, which now I know. Told her I have no idea how to execute it.
If it will help with participation, Im in.
Stacey B wrote: "Alan wrote: "I’ve been following this group for years but I almost never participate. I guess it’s because whenever I check the upcoming reading it never appeals to me. I should have participated i..."I mightily dislike Discord. To me, it is a mess. I have used it twice but have so much trouble figuring out where things are and all the little nonsense emoji type stuff is very distracting. I still get notices saying someone said something to me so I go there and can't find what they are talking about! Very frustrating!
Denise S wrote: "Stacey B wrote: "Alan wrote: "I’ve been following this group for years but I almost never participate. I guess it’s because whenever I check the upcoming reading it never appeals to me. I should ha..."Denise,
I have zero experience with Discord. But..I have plenty of experience with "frustration". :)
Hi! I recently joined; I'll likely be a little bit on the quiet side at first, solely because I'm in school and thus my reading is a bit less than I would like (and a bit more on the lighter side so I can make mental space for all the info that's come fast and furious in my classes). But I've got notifications on so I won't forget about this group. I'm definitely looking forward to being able to participate more. :)
We would like to enhance comments, chat, discussions, and opinions, especially in light of Goodreads' having ended or curtailed email notifications.
We were already a group with a lot of listeners or lurkers and fewer talkers, and we don't want these notification changes to do us in. How can we overcome?