Goodreads update requires you to change settings

[Robin P, Moderator]

September 21: Goodreads Changes!

Goodreads made a default change to every person's account, and if you would like to continue receiving messages from groups (such as our newsletters or announcements of new reads), you must go change your setting.

On the desktop:
Click your picture on the top right of the toolbar, then go to Account Settings. From there, click the Settings tab.

Scroll a bit down, and you will see this setting:

Who Can Send Me Private Messages:
anyone just my friends

Change it to "anyone".

Without doing this many people won't get newsletters or any other notifications unless they happen to be a GR "friend" of the sender.

**Another recent issue is that some people found they can't link any outside sites in any way, not sure if this is temporary. This would mean you can't link to outside articles under the Croissants, Coffee and Tea, for instance, or link to outside sites on authors, books, etc. You can do a workaround, like putting a space in the website or typing (dot) for the . in the address and alerting us. Oddly, some people can still post links in the normal way. Most of us also can't reply to anything with an outside link unless we delete the link. Many of us have given feedback but GR is obviously uninterested in groups, even though that's what gets us to spend time on their site.

The reason for these changes is that there have been problems with spam, someone joining groups and posting links that lead to junk/X-rated sites/ads, etc. But my analogy to how they are fixing it is that it is like doing surgery with a sledgehammer.

[Abigail]

Thanks for the alerts! A moderator in another of my groups reported within the past hour that they’ve reversed themselves on the outside-link thing, so that one may be resolved.

[Robin P, Moderator]

Yes, I was just able to do it for the first time in 2 days, after seeing an update in the GR Moderators group. Of course no notification from GR either of the problem or the fix. Whew, at least for now it seems ok.

[Madge UK]

Done. Thanks Robin.

[Robin P, Moderator]

Frances just sent a broadcast message about the upcoming read of Humphrey Clinker and it will only go to those who have changed their settings. Thanks, everyone!

[Frances, Moderator]

I am planning to lead a reading of "The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker" for November/December as a Moderators choice. Goodreads says: "William Thackeray called it the most laughable story that has ever been written since the goodly art of novel-writing began. As a group of travellers visit places in England and Scotland, they provide through satire and wit a vivid and detailed picture of the contemporary social and
political scene." Written by Tobias Smollett and published in 1771, this will take us back a few centuries, and I hope many of you will join me for this read.
-copy of recent broadcast message