Important: Goodreads changes on privacy settings and links

[Ilona]

Hello everyone,

Yesterday we noticed that Goodreads has made some important changes without informing their members. As these changes have a huge influence on our community, we would like to share them with you, so we can try together to find some solutions.

First of all, Goodreads has changed the privacy settings for every profile. By default, you are now only able to receive messages sent to you by friends. The same goes for likes and comments on your status updates or reviews.

Secondly, it is no longer possible to post links to websites other than Goodreads. Posting links to other websites as href had already been banned a while ago, but now it is completely blocked. Edit: this has been fixed!

As stated before these changes will have a big impact on our group:
- We will not be able to send out the monthly message.
- New members won't be able to receive a welcome message.
- It will be difficult for us to communicate with challenge leaders.
- You cannot receive messages from your TBR Twin if you are not friends.
- We are not able to share links to Google docs or spreadsheets, like we do for the Buddy Reads.
- It looks like it is not possible to send friend request to people who require you to answer a question, but we have not been able to confirm this yet.

We think that these changes were made in order to fight spam, but sincerely hope that Goodreads will reconsider them. In the meantime we will do our best to find solutions for all of these issues. Feel free to share your ideas!

The moderators


Edit: We will definitely still write the monthly message and post it in the Announcement section of the group, so you can read an overview of the month's activities.

We will also try to send out the message to all the members that changed back their privacy settings.

Edit2: The links are back!

----------------

How to find and change your privacy settings:
- Click on your profile picture in the top right corner of your screen.
- Click on Account Settings
- Go to Settings, under Privacy you see your current settings and options.


Goodreads Help topic privacy settings:
https://help.goodreads.com/s/article/...

[Tari]

Oh wow I always liked getting the mods' newsletter to make sure I saw the newest challenges. But since they've at least reinstated email notices, I guess I'll just go back to relying on the email notices for challenge info.

Thanks for all the info, Ilona! Hopefully it'll keep spammers to a bare minimum--if it does, I guess some of the inconveniences might be worth it in the long run. :)

[D.L.]

This is tragic, especially after Goodreads already limits the number of threads one can start in an hour. Are they trying to make groups obsolete or what?

[Dominique]

Thanks for the info but that sucks..

[Amy (Other Amy)]

It does look like people can set their privacy settings back to receive messages from people who aren't friends, but if no one knows about the changes that's not going to make much difference.

[Debbie]

Is there a way to go back to the old format. I just clicked to see what it was like. I clicked on check it out but I do not like it. How do I go back to the old format?

Debbie

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Debbie wrote: "Is there a way to go back to the old format. I just clicked to see what it was like. I clicked on check it out but I do not like it. How do I go back to the old format?"

If you mean the beta of the new page design, click on the Beta button in the bottom right and it will give you the option to leave the beta and go back to normal.

[oshizu]

@Ilona
Thanks so much for posting this information in such a timely manner! I've followed your steps to allow non-friends to message me on Goodreads!
Great job, Goodreads, for making this social media platform more anti-social. *rolls eyes

@Amy (Other Amy)
I appreciate your explaining how to opt out of the new book page format! I also prefer the old format but didn't realize that I could return to it. Thank you!

[Ashleigh]

I have changed my message settings so that anyone can message me. Will the newsletter still get through to anyone who has that active, because I enjoyed receiving those messages in my inbox!

What a shame Goodreads did this without any warning. And yes, I also hate the new format. I switched back pretty quickly after trying it and gave feedback.

A suggestion (and it's only going to work for new people and people who come here frequently) maybe in the introductory thread and all the sign up for TBR twin threads you can have a message about this in the hope that people will change their settings for messaging to work :)

[Ilona]

Tari wrote: "Oh wow I always liked getting the mods' newsletter to make sure I saw the newest challenges. But since they've at least reinstated email notices, I guess I'll just go back to relying on the email n..."

Ashleigh wrote: "I have changed my message settings so that anyone can message me. Will the newsletter still get through to anyone who has that active, because I enjoyed receiving those messages in my inbox!."

We will definitely still write the monthly message and post it in the Announcement section of the group, so you can read an overview of the month's challenges.

I'll also try to send out the message to all the members that changed back their privacy settings.

[Ilona]

Ashleigh wrote: "A suggestion (and it's only going to work for new people and people who come here frequently) maybe in the introductory thread and all the sign up for TBR twin threads you can have a message about this in the hope that people will change their settings for messaging to work :)"

Thank you! :) We are going to try to reach as many people as possible!

[Ashleigh]

I hope you don't mind me throwing another suggestion out, but as someone who relies on the spread sheets and what not, it's been on my mind!

You've potentially thought of this already but if you can no longer link outside links, you can probably link the thread that it's already posted to to new threads and then have people follow there! I know obviously that is far from ideal, but it was just another thought I had! Saves editing a post and losing the link!

Obviously won't work if they end up erasing all the links anyway, but at least temporarily it's an option on the link front!

Edit: another suggestion on the link front is sharing links with spaces in them. Annoying but the formatting doesn't pick up the links that way! (I know this from experience of other sites that hate outside links)

[Tari]

Ilona wrote: "Tari wrote: "Oh wow I always liked getting the mods' newsletter to make sure I saw the newest challenges. But since they've at least reinstated email notices, I guess I'll just go back to relying o..."

I'm going to keep trying to switch to everyone. Yesterday it wouldn't let me. It kept saying I had to click I wasn't a robot--except the little graphic for that wasn't even showing up no matter how many refreshes I gave it. Could be my wonky internet here though. Will see if I can make that change on my iPad in a browser. :)

[Tari]

Yay, success! Must've been so many trying to fix their accounts yesterday, but I fixed it just now. Now I can get the newsletters again!

[Amy (Other Amy)]

oshizu wrote: "I appreciate your explaining how to opt out of the new book page format! I also prefer the old format but didn't realize that I could return to it. Thank you!"

The beta is so awful I clicked out of it immediately. Glad to help others be free. I am dreading the day they go ahead with it. So many changes they are making without any care what users think. The loss of the Feedback group really hurts in times like these. (Not that it was very effective, but at least we had a centralized place to file complaints!)

[Niharika✩]

Wonderful, goodreads, for making this platform even more anti-social. I changed my settings- I didn't realise they had done that. Sometimes I feel that they don't even care about the users.

[oshizu]

Niharika✩ wrote: "Wonderful, goodreads, for making this platform even more anti-social. I changed my settings- I didn't realise they had done that. Sometimes I feel that they don't even care about the users."
Niharaika
It's a little strange, I agree. "They" claim to be protecting our privacy and yet they changed my personal privacy setting without telling me. I hope this is all remedied soon.

[Debbie]

Amy (Other Amy) wrote: "Debbie wrote: "Is there a way to go back to the old format. I just clicked to see what it was like. I clicked on check it out but I do not like it. How do I go back to the old format?"

If you mean..."
Hi I am so sorry I cannot find the Beta button, Can you give me a hand,,,Thank you

Debbie

[Ashleigh]

Hi mods! I've just heard from someone on Goodreads whose updates on this I was following that Goodreads have enabled external links again due to enough complaints.

The default setting of only being messaged by friends I do not know!

[Alyana]

Ashleigh wrote: "Hi mods! I've just heard from someone on Goodreads whose updates on this I was following that Goodreads have enabled external links again due to enough complaints.

The default setting of only bei..."

Good to know! Thanks Ashleigh!

[oshizu]

Debbie wrote: ".Hi I am so sorry I cannot find the Beta button, Can you give me a hand,,,Thank you"

Debbie
To find the Beta button, you have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the book page, below all of the reviews.
You should find it on the lower right corner of the book page.
Oddly, I was not allowed to "Share feedback."
And annoyingly, I find I must opt out of the Beta format each and every day...

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

Ashleigh wrote: "Hi mods! I've just heard from someone on Goodreads whose updates on this I was following that Goodreads have enabled external links again due to enough complaints.

The default setting of only bei..."

Thank you so much for following that Ashleigh!

[Ilona]

Ashleigh wrote: "Hi mods! I've just heard from someone on Goodreads whose updates on this I was following that Goodreads have enabled external links again due to enough complaints.

The default setting of only bei..."

Thank you for sharing. That is a relief! :)

[Ilona]

Good news from Goodreads: "Group moderators now have the ability to broadcast messages to members of a group, regardless of their privacy settings." This means that everyone can receive the monthly message again!

[Eirelyn]

Ilona wrote: "Good news from Goodreads: "Group moderators now have the ability to broadcast messages to members of a group, regardless of their privacy settings." This means that everyone can receive the monthly..."

That's such great news! And it's encouraging that they seem to be doing something about all the complaints they are undoubtedly getting.

[Ashleigh]

This is good too because now you can reach people better about changing their own settings too 😁

[Colleen]

Wow thanks for this. Goodreads is making engagement so difficult and that was the whole point to have a platform to engage with other readers! Fine do the privacy setting…but let everyone know!! 😐

[Caroline]

Thanks for letting us know, I have changed my privacy settings.

[Alyana]

Inserting images from other sites is still not allowed here in GR. :(

[oshizu]

Amy (Other Amy) wrote: "The beta is so awful I clicked out of it immediately. Glad to help others be free. I am dreading the day they go ahead with it. So many changes they are making without any care what users think. The loss of the Feedback group really hurts in times like these. (Not that it was very effective, but at least we had a centralized place to file complaints!)"

Amy (Other Amy),
I'm finding that i need to "Leave Beta" every day that I visit Goodreads. I would complain about it to Goodreads, but I'm not given an option to share feedback (i'm just sent to an untitled page).
Has this happened to you? It's driving me crazy.

[Niharika✩]

oshizu wrote: "Amy (Other Amy) wrote: "The beta is so awful I clicked out of it immediately. Glad to help others be free. I am dreading the day they go ahead with it. So many changes they are making without any c..."

Last time I tried, it led me to my mail. I don't want to mail Goodreads or I would've complained about the inefficiency of the beta page.

[Rachel]

Thanks for making us aware of this.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

oshizu wrote: "I'm finding that i need to "Leave Beta" every day that I visit Goodreads. I would complain about it to Goodreads, but I'm not given an option to share feedback (i'm just sent to an untitled page)."

I have not seen that oshizu, but if I see anyone mention it or a solution anywhere, I will report back. That's got to be so annoying.

[oshizu]

Amy (Other Amy) wrote: "I have not seen that oshizu, but if I see anyone mention it or a solution anywhere, I will report back. That's got to be so annoying."

Thank you so much, Amy! 🧡