Thing 35: Books 2.0

We've come to an interesting crossroads for books and the internet. There are so many websites out there that help guide readers to books in a variety of ways.

I investigated BookCrossing and lib.rario.us for this "thing" and I think I'll be exploring lib.rario.us a lot more in the near future. I like the idea that I can catalog movies & music...along with books - and the website will sort them out so they're not all in one big list. The biggest downfall of lib.rario.us that I see right away is its small user base. There can't be a lot of networking if there aren't a lot of folks to network with.

I don't see myself using BookCrossing at all since it is so unlikely that people will take the time to input that they found my book if they do. It's a fun idea, but not very practical.

Websites for books like the ones discussed in this thing are just like any other kind of resource for literature...it will help readers if they're interested in pursuing and researching books that interest them, but only if they take the initiative to do so. The sites themselves do not have the ability to hamper or not the experience of reading. If nothing else, the enhance reading since they give many options for sharing a special book with others. I can see the value especially for those living in remote areas.