Book Nook Cafe discussion
Questions about GoodReads & BNC
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Q&A about Goodreads
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Alias Reader
(new)
Jul 17, 2009 06:50AM
I thought I would archive the old Q&A folder and copy and paste the posts that are strictly Q&A. This way it will be easier for people to find answers to their GR questions.
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Help with GR questionsAt the very bottom of the page GR provides a HELP link to answer some of your questions.
What is Update Feed? Some actions on Goodreads are published to your Update Feed. Your Update Feed is what shows up on your profile and your friends' homepages.
You can change this by going to the top of the page you will see MY ACCOUNT with tabs under it.
Profile- Notifications-Apps- widgets-feeds- book links.
Click on Profile and click on the FEEDS tab to change your preference for the update feed.
How to post on GRJoAnn over at Fav fiction on aol and Readers and Reading here on Good Reads explained how to post here on Good Reads so well I reposted it here for you.
Thank you, JoAnn!
To post a message, please decide which of the folders is the appropriate one for whatever it is that you want to write. Current FOLDERS include Fiction, Non-fiction, BookNookPeople Miscellany, Monthly Reads, Reading Cookbooks etc. and are on the Readers and Reading home page.
1-Open the folder in which you wish to post.
2-Decide if you want to comment on a previous "topic" or add a new topic.
3-If you want to comment on a previous topic, click on that topic. A page will open up with the old comments and at the bottom of the old comments, you will see a box in which to type.
OR-OR-OR
4-If, instead, you want to ADD a topic, click on NEW TOPIC which is slightly to the right and above the list of current topics. A page will open up and you will need to type in your new topic's name and then the comment in the box under that.
5- Click on POST to enter your comment.
How to post Bold to post boldly LOL, you put this in front of what you want to make bold.
At the end of what you want to make bold, put this < then a / then a lower case b, then this >
How to format your post with HTMLwhen you have the comment box open, at the bottom right corner there is a link that says (some html is ok)
Click on that and all of the formatting directions come up
How to add books to your bookshelf and how do the shelves work Go to the top of the page and click on MY BOOKS
From that page you will be able to add books that your are:
Currently reading, To Read, Read. You can also create new shelves.
how to shelve your books
To add books you've read to a shelf, use the 'bookshelves' dropdown while editing a review. All the books you add are in the 'read' shelf by default, unless you add them to the 'currently-reading' or 'to-read' shelf using the bookshelves dropdown. You can create additional shelves that are mutually exclusive with the 'read', 'to-read', and 'currently-read' shelves by clicking on 'edit shelves' from the homepage. You can also create your own bookshelves (also known as tags or lists), and add the book to as many of them as you like.
how to add a book to your books
To add a book to your shelves, find the book by searching for its title or author. On the book profile page click on 'add to my books'. All the fields on the next page are optional, so enter a rating or review if you like, then click 'save' and the book will be added to your books.
how to remove a book from your books
To remove a book from your shelf, click on the 'my books' link at the top of Goodreads, make sure you are on the 'main' or 'list' view, then click 'remove' next to the book you'd like to remove. You can also click on the book, click 'edit my review', then click 'remove from my books' at the bottom of the page.
how to sort your books
You can sort your or your friends reading lists by any criteria you like, using the links at the top of the column while viewing a shelf. For example, to sort by title, click on 'title', which appears at the top of the page. Clicking again will reverse the sort. Other columns that can be sorted on are: author name, rating, my rating, shelves, date added, publication date, date added, date read, average rating, review, number of comments, and number of reviews. Make sure to check out the various views (main, list, reviews, covers, print, edit, rss) to see all the sorting options.
How to unsubscribe from GR Emails
how to unsubscribe from emails
To change the frequency (daily or weekly) or unsubscribe from the Goodreads update email or any other email, click on MY ACCOUNT at the top right corner of Goodreads, then click the 'NOTIFICATIONS' tab. All email settings can be controlled on this page.
How to: - See only new posts
- Mark All Read
- Get back to the full list of Folders
-------------------------------------
If you only want to see new posts
find the box on the right side that says:
Search Posts
Under that box you will see a link for: UnRead Topics.
Just click on that to see only the new posts in a thread.
* note if when you see the list and don't want to read any of the new posts, you will see a Mark All Read link. Just click on that.
* if you want to go back to the full list of all the Folders, just click on Discussions from the list of choices that you see on the right side under our name Book Nook Cafe.
How to follow more than one Message board on GR. Just go to the top of the page to the drop down menu
and select Groups. There you will see all the boards that you have elected to join.
How to change your screen name on GR go to the top of the page where it say Hi...(your name)
-With the drop down menu you will see: 2 choices. My Profile & My Account
-Click on My Account
-Just type over and change your name. (may I suggest your aol screen name/ first name or just your aol name if you were an aol/bnc member)
Personally, I left the last name black. So just erase what you typed if that is why you want.
Than go to the button of page and click on Save Profile Changes
How to change who can see your Public Profile -Go to the the top of page where you see Hi...(your name)
- Click on MY Account
- Click on the Notification tab.
Under the boxes where you type your first and last name you will see:
my last name is viewable by:
anyone (?) Goodreads members friends
Click on the box for the level of privacy that you want.
reply | edit | delete | flag *
How to format posts with bold, links, Italics and more. When you reply to a post you will see at the top of the reply box:
Some html is OK
Just click on that for instructions.
How to add the book cover or Book link to my post When you go to your Reply box at the top of the box you will see the words:
Add book/ author
Just click on that. People can click on the book jacket or the link for info about the book.
Folders & Topics/Threads Just a FYI for you to take notice that only
5 threads appear under a folder.
To see ALL the threads in a Folder just click to the right of the Folder Name
where you will see something like:
showing 5 of 15 topics — 116 comments total view all
Click on View All
Can anyone start a new thread/Topic or Folder------------------------------------------
Yes. You can start a new TOPIC. But check to see if there is a TOPIC/thread already open. GR only show the 5 most active TOPICS in a FOLDER.
Also make sure you are in the correct FOLDER for your topic.
If you would like a new FOLDER, please ask the moderator.
More than one page of posts some topic. Note- some Topics have many posts and run on to multiple pages.
At the end of page one you will see
Previous 1 2 Next
Back to top.
how to Mark All Read If you click on the UnRead topics link (found under the search box on the right)
You will see the list of unread posts.
Under the list of topics you will see Mark all Read.
How to set up a Books I Did Not Finish Bookshelf posted by: Jan O'Cat
First go to My Books above.
Click on Did Not Finish shelf on the left.
If you have books listed there, there is a column with the shelf names of the various books. The shelf name Did Not Finish should appear in that column. Under the shelf name is a tiny "edit." Click on "edit."
You'll get a pull-down with all of your shelves listed. At the very bottom there is "edit shelves." Click on that.
From there you get a list of your shelves and what you can do with them. Click to make Did Not Finish "exclusive." There's a paragraph at the right that explains this. This means that books can appear on your DNF list WITHOUT also being on any of the other lists.
After this I would think that you'd have to go back to all your books on your DNF shelf and unclick them from the "read" or "to be read" shelves. I don't think it will do this all by itself, but I don't know.
Hope this helps. This is NOT the path I followed this morning, so obviously there are various ways of getting there.
How to add book links to GR so you can quickly search a web sites catalogue. Go To MY ACCOUNT at the top of the page where your name is and you have a drop down menu.
Click on BOOK LINK
On the right side of the page you will get 2 pages of links which you can add. Google is one of them. There are book sellers and libraries etc. on the list.
Then when you type in a book title, and click on the title that comes up you will see the additional links you've added.
"about book links
Book links appear on all our book pages, where it says "find at". They let you find the book you're seeing at your favorite online book store, or any site that lets you search by ISBN in a URL.
Book links are intended to link to sites that have an ISBN search and have a large catalogue of books (booksellers, libraries, etc). Book links are not intended to link to sites about a particular book — those are best placed in the "url" or "description" field of the book."
How to win a free book from GR Have you all checked out the pull down window at the top of the page that says: EXPLORE -then click on BOOKS then- GIVEAWAY?
You can also click the FIND BOOKS tab at the top of the page to take you to Giveaways.
You can "Win free copies of pre-release books. Publishers can list their upcoming books, and you can apply to receive one. Winners are picked randomly at the end of the giveaway."
FeedbackThis is a place to give feedback about Goodreads. Feature ideas, bugs, or any other suggestion for improvement. You will have to join the group to post.
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...
personal bookshelf vs. BNC Group bookshelf Just a FYI to make sure when adding books to your personal bookshelf that you don't add them to the BNC groups bookshelf.
- To add a book to your personal book shelf:
Go to the top of the page and click on MY BOOKS
If you click go to the list on the right that is under our name Book Nook Cafe (group home, BOOK SHELF, discussion, events,photos, invite people, members, polls) and you click on bookshelf that is for the group. Please do NOT add books via this option. That is the list of books we have read as a group.
Does anyone know anything about "messages" or "comments" that others can leave about the books one is reading?I keep coming across these messages and comments by accident when I'm doing something or other with my shelves. I wondered if there's any one place that can be checked regularly.
There used to be a column in my book lists that showed when someone had made a comment, but it's not there any more. I don't know if this is because no one has commented or because Goodreads doesn't have it any more.
Also, how do these comments related to one's "in-box" in the upper right of the screen? The comments don't show up in my in-box because it's easy to see when something is there. Where do in-box messages come from?
Needless to say, I don't have any of this enabled in my emails because I don't like getting the emails.
Jan O'Cat
The inbox is a internal email system for GR members.I don't know of any alert on the GR site for comments left on the bookshelves. I have my email turned off, too.
I've come across them by accident. It's not something I check.
I would suggest you ask this on the Feedback board. The members are really quick about responding to questions. If you find out anything, let us know.
Someone was asking how to add a avatar. (the picture that comes up with your screen name)It's been so long since I did it I don't recall the exact steps.
Can anyone give us a step by step instructions for adding a picture from Google images or other source and make it your GR avatar ? Thanks !
Alias Reader wrote: "Someone was asking how to add a avatar. (the picture that comes up with your screen name)"Hey, that was me! Thanks for posting my question, Alias.
I thought I'd get on the digital camera bandwagon this summer. I have a camera from school that I need to learn how to use, but what with all the root canals, billfold shopping, and refrigerator defrosting, it just didn't happen. So I don't have an actual picture of myself.
So I was noticing that I'm one of the few lone holdouts without an avatar (I think of them as icons, but I think the norm at Goodreads is to call them avatars.) Actually, I noticed this when I was checking out some group members on various groups and found that I myself, avatarless poster, was thinking those without avatars were a little fly-by-night. Hmmmm.
It looks like a few of you have "stock" images you've imported from some place. Can anyone tell me how to do that? I've clicked the Add Picture button in my profile and it wants to open a file. Is it as easy as copying and pasting an image in a file and going from there?
Jan O'Cat, computer idiot
Jan, that file it wants to open can be your AOL desktop....so if you have a photo image there (which can be a stock photo) you can add it to your profile.I think dragging a photo to the MAC desktop is the easiest way to do this.
JoAnn said: "I think dragging a photo to the MAC desktop is the easiest way to do this."Thanks, JoAnn. I was hoping it would be something this simple. I'll try it later today.
Jan O'Cat
The system of archiving threads seems to not be working for our group. It is confusing to some and upsetting to others.
So, I've moved most of the threads back to their original folders.
Some threads will be closed to further posting.
This is because I've been told when a thread gets too big it is very difficult to go back and find posts and specifically book titles.
So each month I will close and open a new thread with the same name for:
- "what I read last month"
- "Past Present and Future reads"
- "General chit-chat"
I hope this simplified arrangement is fine with everyone.
Any and all suggestions are most welcome. Just post them on the board so we can get everyone's input.
I apologize for any confusion or hurt feelings this may have caused. That was NOT my intention. I am just trying to do my best to make the board a good experience for all. We are all new to GR and we have to work through things to see what works for us all.
We have been together as a group for a long time and would hate to lose anyone over something like this.
I hope everyone can be tolerant of my missteps. I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings. Sometimes it is difficult to know what someone's intentions are when posting on the Internet and feeling can get hurt.
I would only suggest that we continue to be mindful of posting in the correct folder/thread.
Thanks !
Absolutely no apologies needed, Alias! You've taken on a monumental task in gently moving us to this forum. It has been a success, imo, and we've gained more new book friends, to boot! How fortunate is that?deborah, looking forward to more years of posting together
deborah, looking forward to more years of posting together ==============================================
Absolutely, Deborah ! We have a great group here and I hope the lurkers will come out to play. :)
Now back to our discussions about fun things like: books, TV, diet, art, travel, movies & simple fun chitchat and most important enjoying the company of a great group of friends here at GR. :)
GR EmailFYI
GR has an internal email system.
Once you log on to GR, check the top right hand corner of the page
You will see:
HI (your name) .... In box....sign out.
If you click on In box, the link will take you to email.
If you have mail, I think a small flag appears next to the word in box.
* this is an internal GR email system only.
Isn't that neat? I had no idea until Alias told me about it!deborah
GR could do a better job in making the link visable. It's quite easy to miss.
Deborah, I didn't know there was an email system with GR either until Alias told me. Still lots to learn I guess.Kate
Kate, it makes it fun but i don't care to feel as though i'm missing things. LOL--no winning with me.deborah
I apologize if this question has already been addressed. I scrolled down and didn't see it, but I could have missed it. How do you do a strike through line I've seen done when people mark off a book they've read on a list posted? For example, someone posts on a group the books they plan to read for the next month, then they strike through the books as they read them.
A "S" in brackets like <then type the words you want lined through
Than
Another bracket and a backward / slash and close bracket.
Above the posting box you will see the words
Some HTML is OK
Click on that for the list of how to format in html.
If you still are having issues, let me know and I will try to explain it better.
Alias Reader wrote: "A "S" in brackets like <then type the words you want lined through
Than
Another bracket and a backward / slash and close bracket.
Above the posting box you will see the words
Some HTML is OK
Cl..."
Thank you so much. I have been wanting to know this for quite some time.
How to add a book link- Book cover- author link- author picture to your post.- At the top of your reply box you will see a link for ADD Book/author - Click on that.
- A box will pop up.
- type the title or isbn # of the book you want. The book you want may not be on the list for the first page, in that case go to the next page. If you are having trouble finding the book, get the isbn from Amazon or if you have the book the ISBN is on the back cover. Once you find the book you want-
- At the bottom of this box you will note it says: ADD. You will have 2 choices
LINK or COVER. Click the circle of the one you want. A dot will appear in the circle. If you want the Cover then click the circle next to the word COVER.
- Then click the ADD button. It to the right of the book title.
- The box will close.
- You need to open the box again. Just as you did before, click on the link for ADD Book/author. This time click on LINK circle so you can have the cover and the link which gives us the title of the book.
- Click on ADD next to the book.
- the box will once again close.
- If you want to add the Author link, open the box again.
- At the top of the box you will note it says Add a Reference and a TAB for Book or Author.
Click the author tab.
you will see the author name alone or from a list. Once you see the author you want, look at the bottom of the box. Just as before you will see you have 2 choices. Link or Photo. Select the circle for the one you want. Click ADD next to the author.
The box will close again.
The whole thing takes seconds to do once you get the hang of it, it's really quite simple.
I agree. It's the practice which made it a breeze for me. Now i realize what an asset it is to be able to do so without going back & forth to other web sites!deborah
Hi, Im new here. I just want to ask how to post a photo in the thread. I normally use photobucket and extract the html. Are there other ways? Thank you. :)
Hi and welcome, jamaicaIt is not possible to post a photo in our threads/comments. GoodReads does not have this capability.
One tip on adding book links and covers. I would have a devil of time getting the right book in the search, and it was really perplexing me as to why the book I wanted would not appear at the top of the list, or even on the first page, nor would anything closely resembling the title. Someone on the M/t board made a suggestion that works... type in the title AND the author, e.g. "The Catcher in the Rye Salinger." Works every time.Alias Reader wrote: "How to add a book link- Book cover- author link- author picture to your post.
- At the top of your reply box you will see a link for ADD Book/author - Click on that.
- A box will pop up.
- ty..."
Carol, thank you for that tip. I had to go 8 or 9 pages in to get The Disappearance when i wanted to post a link to it. I just tried your method & viola! first try! deborah, who wonders why those 2 words weren't in most of the suggestions the first 8 or 9 pages but since library web pages do the same thing, is getting used to the idiocy of that fact
Deborah, I use two different library systems and one gives me really good search results while the other gives me way too many titles. Although in the same state, they are different "systems". These searches should all be as efficient as GOOGLE!
Deborah, I'm so glad to save you the aggravation of scrolling through those pages to get the right link.madrano wrote: "Carol, thank you for that tip. I had to go 8 or 9 pages in to get The Disappearance when i wanted to post a link to it. I just tried your method & viola! first try!
deborah, who wonders why those..."
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "These searches should all be as efficient as GOOGLE! "I agree!
