Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat. This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.
Today’s question is:
What do you like or dislike about Facebook reader groups?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation by commenting on this post or on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group.
Let’s chat!
What I like is engaging with other readers and authors. The ones I like are either run by a single author and they engage with readers. Or a group of authors who will take turns hosting the group. What I don’t like are the reader groups that are just to sell books. While there is some interaction its a constant have you bought this book yet. Or a reminder this book is still on sale. It’s clear the author isn’t interested in the readers just selling books. These groups will often ignore some readers as well.
The other major thing I dislike are public groups. It may be the best group in the world but if the settings are public I will not be joining as there are no safeguards. I have heard oh but we have questions and we need to grow but you can grow as a private group. The argument there are questions to join is mute as being public you can ask but you don’t have to answer to join. I know I joined one without answering but because it was public I started getting spam private messages. How do I know it was from a public group you ask? Well I used my second account which was not of any members thinking it would be safer and with in days of joining I was spammed.
I say this as on facebook you can’t restrict who sees posts and comments in a public group. I have had people who are not friends on Facebook say oh I see you like xxx because they are also part of the public group. (The one in question was Arnotts, but the same has happened from Aeroplane Jelly)
Your turn.
I look forward to reading your comments here or at the FB group. Remember all comments go into the monthly drawer for a gift voucher.
I certainly love both the Christian Writers Groups I’m in plus one other. On a personal level I feel understood as a writer. All the struggles disappointments and occasional successes are acknowledged and encouragement is available. I’ve had great advice and been educated in other areas of the whole process too. What I guess I don’t like is asking something or making a comment and getting zero feedback. To me though it’s like a sprawling extended kind of family. Some you like. Some you don’t.
Thanks for commenting. asking a question and not getting replies can be disheartening. Sometimes its the time its posted and sometimes FB hides posts I find I have to constantly go to the option of show newest posts.
Writer groups are good for writers and different to purely reader groups which is good cos there are probably more people who read and have no intention of writing a book. so both are needed and the mixed ones are good too.
Many readers groups I’m part of have people asking questions for book recommendations and the same books are recommended over and over. I like finding new books, ones that I haven’t heard of before, and like to share those, and find so many of these groups stick to the same books that are already on bestseller lists. Some also seem to be competing for who can read the most ‘literary’ books rather than books they’re reading just for fun!
True. I am on so many I have muted or even deleted because of this. The few I am on are more interactive and probably not the typical readers groups. I was on a couple that discussed books but found the books selected were not easy to get or not what I was interested in. Several have also have become constant promo. I do enjoy a couple that are more reader focused and are more like family with fun games and chat and we pray for each other. I know I can put on a request and people care.
Hi Jenny, The single author and group author hosted reader groups can be lots of fun. I don’t spend much time on Facebook and I’m really not the target audience for reader groups. There’s only a couple that I actually visit. I’d prefer to spend my time reading a book blogger post.
I really hate the @everyone tagging functionality. I understand why the @everyone tag is used in admin groups where every group member needs know important information ASAP. But, in a reader group, I can’t see why there’s ever a need for that tag to be used. If the tag is used in a post promoting a book or product, it’s a real turn off for me. Group admins can pin posts that readers will see when they next choose to visit the group.
I agree that public groups, in general, are a security risk. Public group posts can be searched in Google and other search engines. In a group situation, members can be lulled into a false sense of security because traditionally most groups were set up as private or secret groups. Readers can forget that personal information shared in public groups is easily accessible to people who may have malicious intentions. With all the corporate hacking of personal information that’s happened in recent months in Australia, and now there’s another finance company in recent days who’s discovered a major hack and theft of personal information, it’s even more risky to share any personal information online. A private or secret group is not foolproof by any means, but dodgy people would have to work a little bit harder to access information there.
On the @ everyone I disabled it! so it doesn’t work for me but it did annoy me. especially in groups where I have settings for highlights when its a busy group.
On the public groups or pages I was lulled into a false sense of security not realising it was public and having some people I know comment on my comments. Not that the comments were back but one was someone I have blocked on FB for personal reasons was mentioning things and they has found them on FB. I had to delete comments and am now very careful.
I like the groups that are organic and not forced. The ones that want to know what readers want and not what authors think we want.