Changes to DMs, Links, and Images on Goodreads

[TerryJane, Challenges]

Hello, Group Members! You may have recently received this message from Goodreads:

Hello Goodreads Member,

In the coming weeks, we will be making some updates to how messaging works on Goodreads.

What's Changing?
• Direct messages between individual members will no longer be available
• Images and external links will no longer be supported in messages

While direct messages between individual members are no longer available, you can still access your past messages from your inbox, Group moderators can still send broadcast messages to their group members, and you can still send group invitations to your Goodreads friends. All other public interactions, such as writing and responding to book reviews, remains unchanged.

-The Goodreads Team

===

The above message gives no reason why they are taking away our option to privately communicate in this community, and GR is unlikely to change their minds no matter what their users want, but if you wish to object, there is a petition here:
https://www.change.org/p/urge-goodrea...

These unwelcome changes are likely to affect our group in several ways, and we mods are working to find solutions wherever possible. Below are our plans to remedy some of the problems. We will discuss others as they arise.

Monthly Message - Mods will still be allowed to broadcast our Monthly Message to members, but the "images and external links" part of the upcoming GR change may affect it. We are hopeful that images and links in discussion posts will remain unchanged.

Challenge Leaders - In the past, members who wanted to lead our quarterly and monthly challenges communicated via DMs to challenge mods. Challenge mods responded via DM with how-to information, answers to questions, etc. In the future, we will create a separate thread for our challenge leaders and mods to interact.

TBR Twins - In the past, Twins communicated through DMs. In the future, each pair will be given a discussion thread.

Readathons - In the past, participants were required to allow DM messages so that team leaders and/or moderators could make contact with participants. We are exploring other options for this.

Friend Contact - In the past, friends could send DMs to each other. In the future, DMs will not be allowed by GR. Friends may want to exchange contact information for email and/or 3rd party chat apps with their friends now , prior to our loss of DM function.

Suggestion for New Friend Requests - For new friend requests, you may want to update your account settings to "require challenge question" and make the question something like "Please leave your email address so that we can communicate."

Member-to-member Contact - In the past, members could send DMs to each other if the recipient's settings allowed it. In the future, you may use the Let's Chat folder to reach out to each other.

Member-to-mod Contact - In the past, mods were easily accessible via DM. In the future, we will rename the Questions for Mods thread, and you may use that space to leave comments, questions, etc. for us. For more private discussions, we will include an email address that will be shared by all the mods.

Mod-to-member Contact - In the past, we mods reached out via DM to warn individuals about problem posts such as spam, bullying, etc. In the future, we will need to post warnings publicly and/or ban individuals without benefit of any one-to-one private contact.

Thank you,
Moderator Team

[LinaVer]

Since getting that message from GR I’ve just been thinking more and more about leaving this website (again, as I’ve done it years before). 😅 This group and all the connection I’ve made through it is the only thing keeping me here, I think.

[Rachael]

Just a suggestion and you might have already done this... Have you sent this explanation direct to Goodreads as it might make them consider keeping DMs?

[LinaVer]

Rachael wrote: "Just a suggestion and you might have already done this... Have you sent this explanation direct to Goodreads as it might make them consider keeping DMs?"

Maybe I'm already too disheartened by Goodreads, but I don't think it will change anything. Last time they made a bunch of (unnecessary) changes, a large part of the Goodreads community opposed it, but it didn't change much. Anyway, I signed the petition. Let's hope that maybe people's voices will be heard this time.
On another note, the advice and tips written in this post are very good, I think.