SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
All About Goodreads
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How do you use GR and SFFBC?
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Anna wrote: "Friends! I got an Android phone today, and got to see the Goodreads Android app for the first time. I'm appalled!"Anna, I'm so with you on this. Even the web browser defaults to the app version of the site, and it is dreadful. I only ever use GR on the phone to check notifications and occasionally type in simple replies that don't need links.
I can access it through the Silk browser on my kindle, but the app is right there on my home screen. I guess I'm just cantankerous, because I consistently open the app, but then I get aggravated. Maybe I need to see a shrink :)
I have not previously seen this thread, so I’m happy to tell you about my app experience. I use iOS. I am in flux at the moment with my app vs. desktop use. But I still use the app most. The notifications were better until a recent change only shows 1-9 notifications or 9+. My phone badge is more specific, but I have to be careful not to let the number go over 30 because they don’t show more than that. At the month’s change over that becomes very difficult! I have 3 groups on complete notifications and it gets a little overwhelming at times.
I’m starting to use the browser version on my phone or iPad more now, for a couple of reasons:
1) because on SFFBC we use lots of spoiler tags, which as you know are not clickable in the app (stupid!).
2) my other 2 favorite groups are fond of including images, which more often that not are not visible and when they are, they render everything after them invisible. The post just ends and it’s impossible to tell that there should be more text. Ugh! Now, Anna and Allison, don’t go. Getting fancy and adding cute pics or book covers to your posts!
So given those facts, it is impossible to participate fully using the app. It’s great for scrolling through the feed and checking notifications for the stuff that really interests me, though.
Diane wrote: "my other 2 favorite groups are fond of including images, which more often that not are not visible and when they are, they render everything after them invisible."This happens with the "friends' review" digest version, as well. Specifically, if the friend uses an emoji in their review, the rest of the review after the emoji isn't visible in the email. In that case it's easy enough to just track down the review on the page for the book. One gets the impression that the whole structure of this site is held together with baling wire and prayer...
I didn’t know about the image thing. I just looked at the short fic challenge on the app and ugh! Of course I know that emojis look different to everyone and that images can be annoying, but I had no idea it was that bad on the app. I’ve seen several threads that cut out half of the words for no apparent reason, so even if I’d happened to see that I might not have realized. Thanks for mentioning it Diane! I will probably add an image to my 2021 challenge, but I’ll try to make sure that if I add pics just for funsies they’ll be at the end of the post.
lol I just looked at my 2021 challenge on the app and since the very first thing is an image, it’s essentially an empty post :D
Cool! I didn’t realize that emojis do the same thing.
Mod
This happens with ..."
Did you see/read the Twilight Zone episode about the guy who has to get all sorts of seemingly random bits of trash and keep them in a specific order in a pile in his basement otherwise tragedy strikes the Earth?
That's sort of how I picture the "department" in charge of GR.
"KEVIN OMG, I TOLD YOU 7 SPARKLE PONIES AND YOU BROUGHT GLITTER MARES. DO YOU THINK GOODREADS IS AS DUMB AS YOU ARE?? DO YOU??"
*We're sorry, Goodreads is over capacity*
I don’t know if they break the app but they might show up as garbage depending on your device, OS, version, etc.
Mod
I never even bothered with the app since I only ever heard how bad it was. I installed it briefly back when the front page was broken so I could still see people's updates, but once that got fixed I uninstalled it and am back to browser only.
I use laptop exclusively. Also, I don't use notifications at all, but rather get emails, (shunting them to a folder for GR of course.) I love seeing things before the poster edits them, but more importantly, I love not missing anything because notifications are broken again....
Cheryl wrote: "I love seeing things before the poster edits them"This is devious! My typos live forever in Cheryl's GR folder? :o
And there's the 52nd reason to hate the app right there! I can't go back and fix all of my typos! Consider this my apology to all of you for my ignorant errors in my posts!
(Anna, no, I delete them of course. And fyi btw, only the first new post shows up each time. And besides, you don't make typos asaik.)
Cheryl wrote: "you don't make typos"<3
(I do.)
Allison wrote: "Beth wrote: "Diane wrote: "Did you see/read the Twilight Zone episode about the guy who has to get all sorts of seemingly random bits of trash and keep them in a specific order in a pile in his basement otherwise tragedy strikes the Earth?That's sort of how I picture the "department" in charge of GR.
This ..."
Yes! just barely turned my head in time for the LOL with mouthful of, um coffee, to not hit the keyboard. Watching Twilight Zone episodes now and just saw this.
To answer the thread question, have never used the app, only use browsers with ad/privacy extensions and settings on desktop/laptop.
I only ever use the app to see if a book I'm interested in is part of a series when I'm in a store. Oh and to add a book I've acquired to my owned but unread shelf with the scanner feature.
Beth wrote: "Anna, I'm so with you on this. Even the web browser defaults to the app version of the site, and it is dreadful. I only ever use GR on the phone to check notifications and occasionally type in simple replies that don't need links."You might know this already, so I'm sorry if this is redundant! But if you scroll to the very bottom of the web page and look toward the right, there should be a very subtle and easy-to-miss option to switch to the Desktop version of the site. On mine, it says “Desktop version” under the Goodreads copyright notice. It doesn’t look like a link, but if you touch it then it will switch.
It's still a pain on mobile because you have to zoom in and out and slide things around a lot, but that's what I use if I want to look at GR on my Android phone.
I use the app for normal discussions and lurking. When I want to respond specifically to someone, I either get on a desktop/laptop or I shift to desktop mode on my phone. It all depends on how engaged I am for a particular forum/comment.
YouKneeK wrote: "You might know this already, so I'm sorry if this is redundant!"I didn't, YK. Thanks so much. You're a life- or at least a mood-saver!
YouKneeK wrote: "Beth wrote: "Anna, I'm so with you on this. Even the web browser defaults to the app version of the site, and it is dreadful. I only ever use GR on the phone to check notifications and occasionally..."Oh, perhaps I have profi help here (sorry, YouKneeK for bothering). I've read this several times, but I don't seem to find the bottom of the page. When I start GR on my smartphone it gives me the home page, where I can scroll endlessly and only get older and older notifications this way - no end of page to find. And the other options like my books, help, search have nothing written on the bottom of their pages. What do I do wrong?
I pretty much use the app only to update my reading progress on the go (such as when I'm on holiday - or when I read before sleep, so my PC is off and I update my progress on the phone, usually during my morning commute the next day). Worse, the notifications seem to be poorly-synced. I get one on my PC on Saturday, follow it to the topic/whatever, turn on mobile data on Monday during my commute, and get the notification again./facepalm
I mostly use GR to track my reading, but I take part in discussions here and there, when I feel like I have something to say. But I'm mostly a lurker.
Gabi wrote: "When I start GR on my smartphone it gives me the home page, where I can scroll endlessly and only get older and older notifications this way - no end of page to find. And the other options like my books, help, search have nothing written on the bottom of their pages."Gabi, are you opening it on the web browser or the app? This would only work on the web browser. You probably would need to be on a page that doesn’t have endless scrolling and therefore no bottom. I haven't looked to see if they've moved it somewhere else on those pages or if it's missing altogether.
Here’s a screen shot of what I see at the bottom of this exact page from my mobile phone, if I’m in mobile view in the browser.
YouKneeK wrote: "Gabi wrote: "When I start GR on my smartphone it gives me the home page, where I can scroll endlessly and only get older and older notifications this way - no end of page to find. And the other opt..."Ah, okay, thanks! Yes, I'm on the app. I can't open it in the web browser on my phone, it automatically opens the app. At least I now know that it's not my fault. Thanks a lot, YouKneeK!
Gabi, iOS or Android? Did you try what Allison said she does on Android, which is to navigate to SFFBC homepage, click on Current Events at the top, and that pretty much forces a browser launch, because apparently the Android app can't handle html links? My Android asks if I want to open in Goodreads or browser, but that's because the phone is recently out of the box and I haven't set anything up yet. Also the little experience I have with Android phones is that each device and OS version works differently.On iOS it's a struggle, and I can't remember exactly right now, but I feel like it'd be easiest to delete and reinstall the GR app, and then maybe it'll ask, maybe it won't. If someone needs help with the iOS app I can try later this week when I get my iPhone back from the shop with factory resets. I don't want to start messing with my temp iPhone setup, which is already on life support.
I tried it with my iPad, which didn't have GR installed, since I don't need notifs on there. It didn't ask me anything, just stays inside the app (expected), but it also let me use the browser without too much of a fight. So anyone on iOS, just don't launch the GR app at all, instead open the site in a browser, and if it forces you to the app, then try uninstalling (and reinstalling) it (the app, not the device). I remember fighting with it a bit, but I eventually got there by always telling it no app please. If you don't need notifications on your phone, and prefer using the browser, then don't install the app at all.My personal set up on my iOS devices is this:
- I use Safari and let iCloud copy bookmarks (not on the laptop tho, shiver)
- I have bookmarks for all the GR pages I need frequently (see below)
- GR app is only installed on my primary phone, for notifications, no badges allowed *
- I always use the desktop version of the site, never the mobile (see YouKneeK's pic above)
Some of the GR bookmarks I have:
- Discussions page
- Notifications page
- Different shelves I use a lot (library, currently reading, etc.)
- SFFBC Current Events **
- My private group, which is just a collection of more links
On my laptop I have Waterfox with a ton of legacy add-ons that make Goodreads look like Real Website and also help with all the linking I like to do.
* If badge notifications are on, you have to open the app to dismiss them
** If anyone needs more links added to Current Events, just let me know! :)
New post so I don't babble everyone's eyes out. It's not news to me, but again I'm reminded how GR is a horrible mess.On my laptop, besides GR, I have zero modifications to any website I use. I'm happy with all the different, weird looking sites, because they all work as intended, even if some of them aren't super pretty. Of course I have all the ads blocked, but that's just common sense. On Goodreads.com I have an elaborate set of CSS scripts running and alter pretty much all aspects of the site so I can bear to use it. And I have so many elements of the site completely blocked. I never even go to the homepage, and when I occasionally end up there (mainly when I have to sign in), I gasp in horror.
On my phone I use apps for everything except Goodreads, and my phone browser has a ton of bookmarks, only for GR. I don't need them for anything else, because everything else works beautifully on the apps.
Sigh. But I enjoy the people! Yes, you!
I can really see how Goodreads is probably struggling to keep old components of its old website while adding on new things. The UI is really not optimal (both IOS app and Desktop) to the point that I find myself wandering around links until I randomly find the Group Book Shelf and the Reading Schedule by actual months and titles and think to myself - OH there it is! Until I forget have to re-discover later on again because it is so unintuitive.
lori, yes, I hate it! Please start a thread for this in the "All About Goodreads" folder! That's the folder we're in, but you know, a new thread for this specific thing :)
Necropost! I'm going to answer Anna's original question... a few years later 😄.1. D - I only use the website, on a laptop
2. I mostly don't follow discussions, although if I start one, I do. I also follow ones of particular interest, like the Way of Kings series discussion (I forgot its series name for the moment - insomnia probs). Otherwise, I generally hate notifications of all kinds, so I tend to either turn them off or never turn them on. I'll go to a discussion if I want to check it. If I choose to be notified, it's only within the site, not via email.
- Sometimes I use the 'Community' tab -> Discussions
- Sometimes I go to the Group page, and select the ones I want to explore
- Sometimes I use the 'Discussions' option under my profile pic list
- Sometimes I use the 'Comments' option under my profile pic list (this lets me see direct responses to comments I've made, which is an easy/quick way to check the discussions I'm interested in, since I've already commented in them recently)
So, A, C, and E, ish.
Oh yeah, that works for me too, I meant it doesn't work if you try to open it inside the app! Isn't that the point of using the app, that you're not using a browser? I remember someone (Dawn?) saying they hate how the site looks on a browser on an iPhone, which is why they use the app. The iOS app opens all links inside the app.