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Sharing Your Books, Sharing Yourself

I'm a firm believer that you can tell a great deal about a person by browsing through their library.

library thing logo

Unless you get invited to someone's home, your opportunity to do this is somewhat limited. When I commented on Sarah Cooper's review of Naked Conversations, she commented back that she'd like to know what I was reading and what books I might recommend. That made me pause a bit. I love sharing, but I'm also looking for the best and simplest way to do anything. So I went searching for a way to allow people to see into my library, and by extension, get to know me a little better as well.

I found several "online bookshelves" that were in beta. Two of them, Shelfari and Library Thing, really caught my eye.

Shelfari has the better "Web 2.0" feel. It allows you to categorize your books into various lists, top 10 list, books your currently reading, etc. But it's widget is a bit over the top. The metaphor of the bookshelf is take a bit to far for my liking.

Library Thing does not have as elegant an interface, but it's search seems faster. And I like Library Thing's sidebar widget better, so that is what you see down the right side of my blog now.

Both sites act as a social network for book sharing. The links above take you to my home page on each site so you can see the differences. They both allow you to join groups, share reviews and recommendations and you can include our Amazon.com Associates ID in your widget so that a portion of sales generated by your links go to you. If you don't have an Amazon.com Associates ID, you should.

I think both are simple to use and are a great way to allow your blog readers to see another side of you.

It's all about relationships.

Posted by Jeff Turner on 04/04/2007 07:05 PM

Comments (53)

books, book review, jeff turner, site review

Originally posted at: Turner's Perspective: Sharing Your Books, Sharing Yourself

Post is included in group: The Hubba Clubba...ROAR!

53 Comments on Sharing Your Books, Sharing Yourself

APR

2007

That's a really neat idea. If only I could find more time to read the books that I want to read, let alone let someone else know what I'm reading. How do you do it all?

Interesting stuff, you are the internet guru:-) I will though have to check these out because as you said, it is all about relationships....and that is the art of getting to know somebody. Their library is not a bad place to continue doing just that.

Now I know why you go to sleep at 3 AM a lot. Six children a great wife, Real Estate Shows and all your blogging how do you find time to rest and recharge? LOL

Judi -- Jeff and Rocky are magic. It's obvious. They can do anything. :o)

Hi, Jeff! I've been so busy playing with this new toy that I didn't even see you posted about it!! I'm trying to get some of my books in there, and the kids came in and we threw in a couple old favorites, too. I'm seriously going to get in trouble with my next book order. Shame on me in advance, but I have a lot of catching up to do!!

Thank you so much for this, too! Very, very cool. "Book cool" is the very best kind. I am a geek, I will admit it freely. Thank you!!

Great idea! We keep all our business books out not only to pick up and grab them for reference but because they are important to where my wife and I are at the moment. Though I must the wife keeps her Jilly Coopers hidden under the bed because she is embarrased to be reading them. P.S The Goal is an excellent book

How neat Jeff. I love to read... just trying to find the time is getting harder and harder. Knowing what other people like to read make it easier to select good books!

You always provide more meat than just your blog - it's easy to get lost going from link to link to link. A confirmed bookaholic, I'll have to check these out tomorrow.

How do you keep track of all of this stuff?? (I like what you did with the books on the right column)

Jeff ~ this looks like a terrific widget to use on AR. I must check it out...thanks for sharing.

APR

2007

Imagine my surprise - I just read an article last night in April's Business 2.0 on Library Thing and the founder Tim Spalding. If you have a really huge collection, Library Thing will actually sell you a Cue-Cat bar code scanner to make it easier to compile your list.

Have you gotten any book ecommendations from Library Thing since adding your library? I'm anxious to use this piece since it is based on your entire library, not just the sort of recommendations you get at Amazon or B&N based on the books you may have bought there. Thanks for writing about this - I had put it in my "need to check it out" list, but had not even considered it as an addition to my blog. Another great idea!

Jeff,

this is too cool...now I'm going to have yet another online toy to play with...I do have to ask - where do you find the time?

Hi Jeff. I looked through your books. The Art of Happiness.. ahhh yes. a fine read! I have the CD for Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now".. looking forward to that one. thanks for the reminder to start it! :)

Hello all! I'm just getting started on importing the books in my library. Luckily, if they're still here, physically, it's because I liked them. I give away the books I read that I don't like... :) So, more will go up. I think this is just a great way to share a piece of yourself with others.

Betsy, I tried the recommendations link yesterday and it was truly brilliant. The fact that they look at my entire library very cool indeed. I've not had any time to "play" with the site except to add my books. At some point I'll delve further into it's full features.

Nick.. Tolle rocks.

Jeff,

I was telling a fellow agent about some of the cool stuff I'm into and she asked where I find all this stuff. I said, "Why, Jeff Turner on Active Rain." You come up with the coolest stuff. Keep up the good work of keeping us all abreast of what's out there.

Fran

This is too cool! Like the others, I'm amazed at your ability to stay with and ahead of the game. I can barely manage my business plus my two kids-you must not require much sleep to survive. =)

Leigh... I have to tell you, I'm a bit ragged around the edges 'bout now! :)

Jeff,

I too am impressed by your ability to get all this done; take heart, it's Thursday a rest day should be coming sometime soon...

Jeff - Thanks for sharing this - what a great way to keep track of great books. I have a notebook where I keep a list of every book I've ever read with a brief description. This way I can recall books to recommend to friends and I have notes whether I liked them or not. I started keeping the list because I would sometimes start reading books, get 100 pages in and realize I had already read them. Now I just love the idea because I have a record of everything I've read. I run a book club and I think it would be a great way to record our choices. Right now we are reading Tipping Point.

My kids also have book logs. My daughter 11, has read literally 100's of books - I think it will be interesting for her when she is older to see what her interests were when she was little.

Joanne... ahh, the weekend. Yes, coming soon to a day near you. :)

Maureen.. what a great idea. You should go check out both sites and see which one suits you better. Again, the only reason I chose this one was the design of the side bar widget. I actually think Shelfari has some very interesting rating and ranking features... and it's prettier in a very Web 2.0 way.

APR

2007

JT..

Another great add.. You're like a smorgasboard sampler of all the cool websites and gadgets designed to make us work better, network better, and make more sales...

I love this post, shelfari is a much better way to find good books than cherry picking from Amazon. I'l have to sign up for that too.. (first I gotta finish exploring all the latest on RE Shows.)

Thanks
Martin

Good Morning-

Doing my AM surf here at Active Rain and am always amazed at the tip and ideas that abound.

Did you read "The Tipping Point" Not Realestate - but goes to the 6 degrees of separation

Thanks for your insights and sharing.

Cheers,

Heather

Martin... I've got a new one for you... stop by later this afternoon if you get a chance.

Heather... yes, I loved the tipping point. It's on my bookshelf!

APR

2007

Another neat little internet gadget by Jeff. Interesting selection of books. Thanks again for keeping it fun.

I have 2 faves... one from Brian Tracy - The Psychology of Selling; and Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Red Book of Sales Answers. Both give great ideas and inspirations!

Jeff

Yo da man! I agree with you and I am always intrigued when I come across someone's elses bookshelves.

Is Blink and Think and Grow Rich on your shelf?

Thxs for the tips

Bob... it's actually fun to put together as well. I think it makes a nice addition to the sidebar.

Jane... I have read the Brian Tracy book, but not the Little Red Book of Sales Answers. It is now on my list to read. Thank you.

Aziz... Blink is on the bookshelf. It shuffles randomly through the 60 or so books I put up. I have a few more to add. My wife brough Think And Grow Rich home and it sat next to my bed for a while but I never read it. You obviously recommend it?

APR

2007

[NOTE: I was asked to remove the library thing widget from the side panel. The string used to pull in the books has no spaces and is very long, and when another of my posts was featured tonight, it pushed the post preview window all the way to the left. If with of them were set to be fixed width, that probably wouldn't happen. I have sent a request to the gang at ActiveRain to adjust the CSS for the Full View Featured blogs page to prevent that from happening. Hopefully, they can fix that soon. It's one of my favorite "finds" of the past few weeks. ]

Jeff

Yes, I do and if you can get the Action Pack --I am re reading it now. The E myth revisited it also very good.

I started putting my list together last night.

MUCHOS KUDOS

Aziz, thank you for the recommendations!!!

APR

2007

Jeff- Thank you for sharing. I have been reading some of the recommendations posted on Active Rain since I have joined and this looks like a great way of keeping them organized and get ideas on my next "reads"

Allison, hopefully AR will make the changes to the CSS to lock the sidebar on the featured tours full view so I can put the widget back up. I like it. :)

MAY

2007

Hi Jeff, thanks for letting us know about Library Thing. It is a pretty awesome site and a GREAT way to catalog your library. I like it, I'm using it, I'm telling my friends and family, and I thank you.

I actually found several more that I had read and forgot I had!

The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz
Super Natural Selling, Danielle Kennedy
Marketing Kit for Dummies
Business Plan for dummies
Guerilla Publicity, Levinson
Guerilla Marketing, Levinson
Guerilla Marketing for FREE, Levinson
101 Successful Sales Strategies
Little Red Book of Selling, Gitomer
Ultimate Guide to Google Ad Words
5 Minutes to a Great Real Estate Letter (came with a cd of letters in Word!)
Just A Note To Say.... Isaacs
Words on Kindness, Exley
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Personal Workbook & full book, Covey
First Things First, Covey

MAY

2007

{SVW Hubba}...

Oh my goodness. More tools?

Your posting them faster than I can figure out how to use them. You "Tool Boy" you. LOL.

TLW...ROAR!

I had to take this off my sidebar for a while. AR was not set up properly to accept long url strings in the sidebar. I think that is fixed now. I'm going to go check.

It appears they fixed the issues on the featured posts dashboard, so my Library Thing is now back in place. ;)

MAY

2007

[NOTE: ActiveRain changed the way the sidebar functions and the library thing is back up and working properly, as you can see. ]

MAY

2007

Jeff:

I LOVE this..must try it...I like to post my books on my sidebar and I'm ready to add some new ones..but this is great! Is it...you are what you read, or you are what you drive? Or, you are known by the company you keep?....maybe all of the above!

MAY

2007

Jackie... LOL. D. You are what you are. I love this thing as well. I added a couple more books I love to it today. It's simple and the widget I'm using here randomly rotates books in.

Jeff:

Molly Tomato is adding my widget...and my chiclet...thanks for the tip! I love it...knowing someone's reading list is like peeking into their soul, don't you think?

Jackie... there is no question in my mind. If I ever come to your house and start looking at your library of books, you can be sure I'm sizing you up. :)

No doubt...I've seen your library...I like your brain :)

Gosh, I hope you're flirting with me. ;) Wait, can other people beside you and I read this?

I collect books and my kids collect books. We all steal books from one another! I have a few favorites that I pick up multiple copies of whenever I see them at a book sale because either one of my family collectors will come snooping or I will be moved to gift a copy to them.

I have a few books that you can look at, but you cannot take out of the house.

I might loan you a book, but if you don't return it, I will NEVER forgive you. And, I have this list, believe me.

On my shelf, you will find herbal books, craft books, classic books, my holocaust collection,my Michner collection, computer books from 1980, used books, stupid romances.

I used to have the county's branch library for a lumber camp in my diningroom. I had books hidden like bottles all over the house in case I had a few minutes to read. My favorite spot was the bath towel holder in the bathroom!

JudyAnn... :) Great story!

I have a version of "Orbiting The Giant Hairball" that looks as if it were hand stitched together. It was given to me as a gift by a former employee. No one can have that book. And I've never been able to find a version like it.

I have several copies of a couple of books in my house, for the purpose of giving away when someone shows interest. I used to keep two copies of Leadership and The New Science on hand at all times. I've given that book to over 30 people, I'm sure. In this digital world I've wrapped myself up in, books still have a high place.

Yup. Other people can see it and she is not alone in "liking your brain" ROAR! :)

Cool idea. I will check it out. My home office is about 1/2 theology books and 1/2 real estate books. Hidden away in nooks and crannies around the house are all of my ghost books.... (Which, seriously, is a place where the other two subjects coincide. But that is a bit heavy for a comment on a blog post.)

MAY

2007

Mary... I'd love to see some of your theology books.

TLW [SVW]... i knew you'd catch that one. :)

Jeff, I've been reading old classics this year. Three Musketeers is wasted on HS english classes. I found great beauty of words in a Jack London Collection.

My wise daughter gave me an Amazon gift for Mother's Day. I ordered all of the Bronte books, a collection and a couple singles.

Once, i bought some used, very old school books at a yard sale. They were written in by people involved in the history of the community. A couple were in foreign languages. I just couldn't resist them. A few months later, a neighbor and native of the community lost their house to a raging fire, with much of their family history and book collection. The yardsale books were from their part of the valley. I knew immediately why I had bought those books and who to send them to.

Jeff:

I love my new widget...thanks for the idea! Check it out!

Judy... I certainly agree. I've been telling myself I'm gong to go back and read all the classics I was forced to read in my youth. I'm quite certain I'd have a much greater appreciation for them now.

Jackie... is something up with your site this morning. I've tried to get to your site from three different computers and it's just spinning. (Update... the page is loading very, very slowly for me. Finally loading, but it's been at least five minutes on the first computer and it's still not all loaded. FYI)

I think something was going on with the server...it's okay now...sent a message to Jim...time for him to get out of bed, anyway!

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