Moderator Support-Discussion Thread

[Vickie]

😊👍

[Vickie]

Sounds good Keli!

[Vickie]

Update... never mind. With further detective skills on my part, lol, I now see that it won two different polls - Quarterly and Second Chance. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone!😉😆

Quick question... is Sleeping Beauties supposed to be in the Quarterly Reads topic folder? I thought that was a Second Chance winner? Or am I confused?😏😉

[StarMan]

Good question, Vickie...
It won the Quarterly Reads poll first (Sep 23 vs Sep 30), so I set up the discussion under Quarterly.

Does anyone want a new Second Chance Poll put up?

[Keli, Keli Snail]

I would. It would be good to read a book with this group again. It seems I've read the winners of late.

Btw, Meet a Member hasn't stopped. My August never got her answers back to me. And I reached out to two people in September but didn't get any response. So I'll try again in a couple days for an Oct Snail.

[Vickie]

Sounds good Keli, let me know if you need any help.😊

[Vickie]

Doesn't matter to me StarMan, whatever ya all want to do is fine by me.

[StarMan]

Any of you awesome Moderators want to add a brand new Second Chance poll? (just pick some recent 2nd place winners to vote from!)

Please volunteer here if you want to give it a shot, so we don't get duplicate efforts.

Thanks again to all of you who help out here with the Snails :)

Also, I'm looking forward to Keli's next Meet-a-Member.

[Keli, Keli Snail]

StarMan wrote: "Any of you awesome Moderators want to add a brand new Second Chance poll? (just pick some recent 2nd place winners to vote from!)

Please volunteer here if you want to give it a shot, so we don't g..."

Me too, StarMan.

I'll give the poll a go.

[Keli, Keli Snail]

I put up the poll but I couldn't find May or June. So I just stuck up the others. I did four, not three and didn't notice until I sent it. 🙄Doh!

[StarMan]

That's fine, Keli.. no problem on May & June!

May was short-story month, and June runner-up was King's SLEEPING BEAUTIES, which is our current Quarterly winer.

I'll leave it up to you, but IF you want to add the May short-story runner up to the 2nd Chance poll, it was:

Brimstone and Marmalade
isbn 1466856394

[Keli, Keli Snail]

StarMan wrote: "That's fine, Keli.. no problem on May & June!

May was short-story month, and June runner-up was King's SLEEPING BEAUTIES, which is our current Quarterly winer.

I'll leave it up to you, but IF you..."

Maybe we should save it for the 3rd second chance. Just so that there's something to choose from.

[StarMan]

Keli wrote: "...Maybe we should save it for the 3rd second chance. Just so that there's something to choose from

Good idea, Kelli. Thanks!

[StarMan]

TIP: To easily invite ALL Group Members to vote in a group Poll,
click the Invite Friends link near the bottom of the Poll. It will give you this:

SCREENSHOT: (view spoiler)[


► Be sure to select "ALL" for each page of Members before clicking the [Invite] button.

(If you forget to select some Pages ... just go back and Invite Friends again to see the remaining UN-invited members).
(hide spoiler)]

~~~
Or, Step-by-Step: (view spoiler)[

1. Go to the Poll, and click on the tiny Invite Friends link (usually near the bottom).

2. Select Group Members (if not already selected).

3) Select "ALL" on the pulldown menu for EACH page of the Members list.

The names of members who have NOT voted yet will automatically be checked when you select "ALL". Do it for each page of members (currently pages 1 2 3 ).

4) Optional: type a message to go along with the Invite.

5) Click [Invite] button.

~~~~~~

It only takes a few seconds to do, once you get used to it (unless you're typing an optional message as well).

TIP: You can practice by sending a Poll Invite to just yourself (check only YOUR name in Step 3 above).

(If you've already voted, you won't be able Invite yourself. To fix this, go to Poll, click 'change your vote' to clear it, and then you can INVITE yourself... and vote again!).

You can invite people any time after the Poll starts. Sometimes I'll do a second invite later, a few days before Poll is due to close, but that is up to you.

If screenshot above is not large enough here to read, try: https://i.ibb.co/34xNBmk/invite-all-g... (hide spoiler)]

[Vickie]

Just out of curiosity Tim, how do you insert your screenshots? That's one I'm not familiar with. Do you have one of those accounts that creates a URL for them?

Thanks!

[StarMan]

Vickie wrote: "Just out of curiosity Tim, how do you insert your screenshots? That's one I'm not familiar with. Do you have one of those accounts that creates a URL for them?

Hi Vickie, good question...

Yes ma'am, I mostly use free image upload/storage services, such as:
https://imgbb.com/ or http://www.imgur.com

Some more free services listed at: https://www.lifewire.com/free-image-h...

Once you upload your image, you can get a direct URL link to the image and copy/paste it here in GR.

Or, if you just want to post a quick image,
(view spoiler)[
1. upload a photo to your Goodreads profile.
2. Right mouse button click on the image in your profile photos, then select 'copy image location' (or similar wording) to get the image URL.
3. Paste (CTRL-V, or RIGHT mouse button click-->Paste) into a GR discussion or review.
(hide spoiler)]

You can also click (some HTML is OK) above the discussion box you're currently typing in, and look for the image: < img src = ... example , to see how to enclose your URL.

Snails have also shared some more detailed tips on posting images in our 'Tips & Tricks' discussion at https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...- (including step-by-step how to use your own images, or how to use images from other websites here).

[Vickie]

Okay, thanks! Yeah, I'm good with posting images but just wasn't sure about screenshots. And I figured you knew of some good free image storage services.😉 You're the best, as always!

[Keli, Keli Snail]

Has a page been set up for the next second chance read?

[Vickie]

I don't believe so Keli.

[StarMan]

Discussion for the winner (One of Us is Lying) is up at:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Keli, Keli Snail]

StarMan wrote: "Discussion for the winner (One of Us is Lying) is up at:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

Thanks StarMan. I was going to get around to it Thursday.

[Vickie]

Hi guys, hope all is well! I've got some things in life going on right now that I most likely won't be able to tend to my co-mod duties regularly. 😕 I apologize, and if it's best to remove me as a co-mod for now, that's fine. I hope to pop in from time to time, because you know I just can't stay away, and of course I'll still always have a book to read.😏

[Keli, Keli Snail]

Vickie wrote: "Hi guys, hope all is well! I've got some things in life going on right now that I most likely won't be able to tend to my co-mod duties regularly. 😕 I apologize, and if it's best to remove me as a ..."

Hey Vickie I hope everything are ok. ❤️❤️

[StarMan]

No worries Vickie, RL (Real Life) comes first. :)

[Keli, Keli Snail]

Sorry I have gone MIA again. My life was crazy in November. My daughter went into hospital. And I just couldn't focus. Now that she's getting better, I plan to be more active on here.

[StarMan]

Hi Keli, Glad to hear your daughter is getting better :)

[Vickie]

Thanks Keli and Tim! Yes, things are getting better, so I hope to be around a little more.

[StarMan]

Thanks to everyone who helped out in 2019! We and the Snails appreciate it. And thanks always to Readage for starting up this fun little group a few years ago (along with Julie #1, if I remember correctly?).

I don't think any of us have a 'regular' time we check things here. Every bit helps, even if you only pop in or contribute a few times a year.

My visits to GR in 2020 are proably going to be fewer and fewer, but I'll still be here occasionally.

Best wishes for 2020, and happy Snail Trails to all.

[Keli, Keli Snail]

I've put up the BOTM feb post page.

I think I might change up the Meet a Member, as I've not been terribly successful in getting replies. I still want to do something that might increase member activity, be a fun way to get to know each other, and provide a challenge (which I love!) but in a way that may not require direct participation from the member being "introduced."
In another group I'm in they seem to have a similar challenge that uses the public info from a person's GR profile. I was thinking of going this route. Sadly, no questions and answers but still a way to know our fellow Snails, and discover new books or reviewers.
What do you all think?

[Vickie]

Sounds good to me.😊

[Fred]

Keli wrote: "I've put up the BOTM feb post page.

I think I might change up the Meet a Member, as I've not been terribly successful in getting replies. I still want to do something that might increase member ac..."
I don't have any ideas to propose, but I think it would be wonderful to get some conversations going about books and authors

[Vickie]

FYI, I sent out invites again for the March BOTM poll since it's a tight race and only two days left to vote. 😊

[StarMan]

Thanks, Vickie, for getting us a few more poll votes in March!

I think Keli's 'Meet a Member' thread is pretty neat :)

► Does anyone want to volunteer to put up the APRIL Book of the Month poll sometime mid-March-ish? We might want to wait for a few more book nominations.

April nominations (3 so far): https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I appreciate the Messages and mini-newsletters y'all have sent out to group members in the past. Some members depend on those kind of Messages to stay informed; not everyone digs in and looks for new group posts.

Thank you again to all you Mods for your help and contributions!

~~~
REMINDER: To quickly see new (unread) group posts:

Discussions --> click 'Unread'
or use direct link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/unrea...

[StarMan]

I had a wild hair and added a "masthead" image for our group home page. If y'all think it's too silly, feel free to change it to something else, or take it down under group 'Settings'.

[Candace]

Bwaaahahahaaa! Love the snail dragon!

[Vickie]

Love it, StarMan! I'll try to remember to put the April poll up.😊

[StarMan]

I'll probably be away from GR till sometime in early April. Y'all have fun, and don't squeeze the Charmin!

[Candace]

StarMan wrote: "I'll probably be away from GR till sometime in early April. Y'all have fun, and don't squeeze the Charmin!"

We'll miss you!

[Pien]

See you soon Starman ⭐️

[Vickie]

No problem StarMan. You'll be missed!

[Keli, Keli Snail]

StarMan wrote: "I'll probably be away from GR till sometime in early April. Y'all have fun, and don't squeeze the Charmin!"

You'll defo be missed, StarMan. Thanks for saying my Meet a Member thread is neat. I do enjoy it. Especially when people agree to do it.

[Keli, Keli Snail]

I finally got on top of the monthly theme challenges. I put up a combo June and July AND managed to get August up too.
I will be definitely be changing meet a Member to a less involved version for now. I'm just not getting enough response. 😢 But if get an upswing in involvement I can always change it back.
Are we doing something about diversity? As a mixed race female immigrant from a poor background, I thought this was a great idea. I can post something if you want. I promise I will be more timely. 😶 My thoughts were either to choose a genre or theme topic and let people choose their books but have some general questions related to the theme. Or choose a book maybe one of us has read, something fairly popular do widely available, and post some questions for discussion.

[Vickie]

Great idea Keli! I like the first option of people picking their own because then members could get some good book recommendations. 💁🏼‍♀️

[Keli, Keli Snail]

Was anyone planning an August newsletter? I will be posting a new Snail in the Meet a Member challenge in the next day or two. If anyone was going to do one, please mention that. Otherwise, I will try get one out by Friday.

[StarMan]

An August newsletter would be fine, Keli Snail.

And we look foward to your next Meet a Member (a more pleasant Snail Grilling than actually grilling a poor defenseless snail!)

[Keli, Keli Snail]

I added a diversity book folder. I hope you all are happy with what I've done and I really hope our members take part.

I've also got a new snail posted in the original format!!!

I'll try to get a newsletter out highlighting this month's additions. But I'm always doing this on my phone which is why some things aren't that fancy and everything takes ages.

[Keli, Keli Snail]

Let me know if the Newsletter looks okay. I'm doing it all on my phone, so it's tricky.
Hopefully all the pictures and text images and links look good. 😟

[Vickie]

Looked good to me, thanks Keli!😊

[StarMan]

Looks good (and colorful, too). Thanks for the newsletter!

[Keli, Keli Snail]

I'll post my September snail, September theme challenges, and send out an email this weekend. I'd hoped for a bit more interest in the diversity thread, especially as some people expressed an interest. ☹ But maybe it's the topic. I'm not sure if I should mention the current theme again and read a book and talk about it. Or move to a new topic. I thought I'd go with Native Americans, specifically Canada, USA and Mexico, next. Thought we could look at other indigenous cultures later. Any opinions? Advice or specific instructions?