College Students! discussion

I often have that problem, but because it was voted for, I try to read it. So far very pleased I did this with a few (especially Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close), not so pleased with a few others. But, I have gotten behind due to lack of interest in a few of the votes. I will catch up. :)

I think we will give it a go for next month and try and see how it works out. I mean, I don't want to make a major chance right now but I'm willing to try it. I'm just afraid that ppl will vote the first time around and then not come back for the second one or vice versa. We can track that with the number of votes for each poll. What Molly said is true..I don't want it to be a drawn out process. I like to get the voting and want not done reasonably soon so that people have time to get the books/for the discussion leader to read the books before we start.

But if that is what people want I'm willing to try it and see how it goes.

In the meantime, those of you who haven't commented..what do you think? I'd like to hear from alot of people before I make a big change like that.

I like the way it is now. I like having the twelve options - it's not too few but it's not too many either. I've seen groups with 20+ books being nominated and that gets out of hand.

I've also been in groups that do the two polls and I've found myself not answering the second poll because I don't want to read or have already read the books that it's been narrowed down to.

See, that's why I'd like to try two polls. Because I will vote for one thing and I can't see the results, and then I'll see I'm one of two people who voted for it and a bunch of other people voted for a couple of other titles, one of which I have no interest in reading and the other which I would like to read but not as much as the one I voted for so I didn't vote for it. Does that make sense?

Let's talk about group reads..

It seemed like there wasn't alot of interest in nominating and most of the discussions have been lacking lately. I know we are all super busy because I have fallen behind sometimes but I'm just wondering if there is anything that can be done to make it better.

So a few questions:

For those of you who don't nominate books--why? Do you feel like you would have to lead the discussion or feel bad if you didn't end up reading it? Do you like seeing what others pick? Do you feel like your book wouldn't get any votes? Or are you just too busy? Were you unaware that nominations are going on? Not interested in group reads? Etc.

Also, what could be done to make the discussions better? I try as best as I can to facilitate discussions but I haven't been able to read every single selection for whatever reason. I know that it is a big part of the problem because it is always more helpful to have someone asking questions and keeping the discussion going. Any suggestions?

If you have any feedback about the nominations or the discussion threads, please feel free to post it here OR send me a message if you would prefer that.

I didn't nominate something this time around because I just didn't think to do it. I'll try to participate more--it's just that every time I post something on the thread, no one responds.

Ah, just for the record. I'm totally not trying to make people feel guilty or anything at all. I just genuinely want to make things better. So, I hope nobody took it like they were being scolded for not participating.

Tahleen--I have seen that too. I'll post something and nobody responds.

Maybe we need some new threads? I don't know what to do about that. I'll have to brainstorm.

As far as nominating goes, by the time I see the thread there are already several books I can't decide to vote on! So I don't feel it's necessary to nominate if I'm already planning on voting for something. Usually either that or I'm too busy and miss it altogether.

I know that's probably not very helpful...

That makes sense..to not nominate because you already see books on the list that you'd want to read.

Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate it!

I've got a couple of thoughts on the low participation. I know that participation gets kind of funky during the summer because most of us are free from the oppression of school and other stuff comes up too. So maybe we should have one book over the summer. We could nominate longer books (like Count of Monte Cristo, War and Peace, The Fountainhead, etc) and split those up over three months. Or maybe we should just do one read a month.

I also think that to help facilitate discussions, maybe we should be a little bit stricter (somehow; I'm not sure how yet) about the person who nominates the winning book leading the discussion. Jamie and I haven't always read the winning books, so we can't really discuss them. We're all busy with our own lives and our own books, but I think that if you nominate a book, you should want to read it enough to read it in time to lead the discussion.

That's my two cents on the matter. I hope I didn't offend anyone.

I blame it on Spring Fever. I am so intensely busy at work right now, I haven't had time to really read.

I don't nominate usually anyways. By the time I notice the nominations are open, there are usually 2 or 3 books I already want to read.

I read a lot more during the summer months than I do during Jan-April. I have noticed a bit of a slump in posting, but figured it was a stressful week or so at school. I also think maybe part of it is everyones Spring Breaks. Usually at school, or at work, you are always by a computer, and can check in often. Usually if you are on break somewhere, you may not have access to the computer.

I haven't been participating in group reads or nominating books because I am just so swamped with school work! I'm always doing homework and any free time I get I try to spend with friends or sleeping :)I'm a freshman and I haven't yet found a balance between homework, friends, sleeping, reading, working out etc. etc.

And Lori, I'll have to respectfully disagree with you about changing the summer group reads. I'm so excited for summer because I am able to get tons of reading done then, and I always try to participate the group reads then. I understand what you mean about other people's schedules being sort of weird in the summer, but I know for me I have so much more time to read than in the school year and I would hate to see the summer group reads lessened.

I like the idea of having a longer read over the summer months. Then maybe also having a regular monthly group read for people who aren't interested in a 1,000+ page book. But I know it's hard to please everyone!

For the group read discussions - If the person who nominated the book doesn't want to lead the discussion then ask for a volunteer? But I think if you nominate a book then you should want to read and discuss it.

Hey all-- This came up in the poll for this month's group read. One of our group reads for next month is Mockingjay which is the 3rd book in a series.

What is your feeling on being able to nominate books in a series? We have never really talked about this so I'd like to get feedback. Should we allow it? Not allow it? Or only allow the first book in the series? Allow it if we have read the others in the series as a group?

I am fine with it. My thoughts are that most people that would be interested in reading the 3rd book would be ones that have already read the first and second, but maybe not. I think a lot of us would be reading this one wether or not it won though.

It might just depend on the series, and if you need to read the first ones before the one chosen. In this case, most of us will be reading it. In another case, say a mystery series, you might not necessarily have to read them in order to understand what's going on.

I agree with Tahleen above.. I would think that reading books from a series depends on the series. In the case of Mockingjay, I haven't gotten around to reading the first two books in the series yet, and I don't think I'd like to read the third without having first read them. That's just me though! :)

I think it would be better to limit it to the first book just to make it more appealing for everyone, some people may feel excluded if they haven't read the first books. However we do vote and if the majority of the people want to read a book later in a series than so be it, there is also the option of reading the other group read. In this case I am definitely going to be reading Mockingjay so it isn't a problem at all.

I felt, when I nominated Mockingjay, that many of us had already read the first two books. I've seen a lot of talk on the Hunger Games series in the threads, so I thought it would be appropriate. If it were another series I think I would be more cautious in nominating it for the sake of everyone. In the end, I don't think I have a preference as to if later books in a series are nominated. I think if the book is popular it well get picked, if it's less popular it probably won't get picked to read.

I think it would be better to stick with the first book in a series. This will get people into the seires if they want to continue reading them. I don't like to skip books so if I haven't read the books before the group read, I won't read that months group read book.

I haven't read the first two books in The Hunger Game series, but I don't mind if the third book is the group read at all. It won because the majority of the members want to read it; as some other people have said, there is the other book that can be read instead of Mockingjay. Besides, I look at it as an oppurtunity to start a new series that appears really good. Ultimatly, I understand that Mockingjay is being released in August, and can appreciate that members are excited to read it and want discussions about it that can come from the group read.

Thanks for your feedback everyone! I hadn't thought about the issue before but it was brought up and I figured it would be a good time to discuss.

Nominations for books that aren't the first in the series will still be ok! I guess my only thing would be that when you nominate it, just note that it is x book in x series.

Again, thanks guys for giving your opinions on the matter!

I don't mind that it's the third book, since there is another book I could read if I wanted to be part of the club read, however I think it's important to remember that not everyone has read the first two so be cautious of spoilers!

Looking for some feedback on group reads: I've noticed in the past few months there have been less and less nominations which is the opposite of what we used to have--too many noms! lol

The group reads used to be one of the best parts about this group so I want to do what I can to improve it. So, I'd love to hear your feedback. I kind of came up with some reasons of why people might not be participating so feel free to tell me if any of these apply to you.

Have you not nominated for group reads because:

1. I feel obligated to lead the discussion
2. I feel like nobody participates
3. I don't know if I can commit to reading it so I don't want to nominate it.
4. I don't participate in the group reads in general.
5. I never know what to choose
6. I forget to check the group during this time/I never know when the nominations are.

Have you stopped participating in group reads because:

1. I don't like the selections
2. I don't have time/too much schoolwork
3. It seems like nobody participates
4. I read them but don't discuss
5. The discussions are poorly lead (you don't have to feel bad about saying this. I know I've slacked on this. I will be making more of an effort to read a lot more of the selections).
6. I never know what the group reads are.

Here are some of my reasons.
For not nominating:

By the time I think of a book to nominate the time to nominate has closed, just because I am indecisive.

I don’t like to nominate a book that I haven’t read, incase the book is horrible. A lot of the books I would nominate the group has already read.

Sometimes I don’t vote on books because I am not interested in the books and don’t want to scue results for others who voted.

For participation:

I think it is a little bit of everything you listed except the last. If I don’t like the selection I just don’t read it, and time is an issue.

I need to learn how to discuss/analyze books better. I feel every time I post in the discussion thread I am saying that I liked it or hated it.

I hope this helps.

As far as the latter question goes I think for me it's usually either, because I don't have enough time to read them, I don't own the book, or I don't like what was picked. Those are probably the biggest factors that keep me from participating. I do try to nominate books when I can though!

Melissa--thanks so much for you feedback and honesty!

I don't normally nominate because there is a really good book I want to vote for by the time I get that far. :)

Also, lately I haven't found the time to read any of the monthly reads and sometimes that makes me feel guilty nominating something that may win, that I may not have time to read and help discuss.

I also feel my contributions often are just I liked it, I didn't like it. That is what most of my reviews are on books too. I rarely care what the author was trying to say, what I get from the story is more important to me, even if it is just entertaiment which is most of the time.

If activity is any indication, I think all over posting has been going down the last few months too. Maybe it is just because we are all busy with either school, work or life, or all three.

I haven't nominated anything this time because there's already a book in each category that I'd like to read. But like Melissa, there are times when I can't decide what book to nominate.

The past few group reads I haven't been interested in reading. Or I'd like to read it but just wasn't in the mood to (like Persuasion...I want to read it I just didn't feel like when it was a group read). Sometimes I think a lot of people who vote aren't people who are active members/never left a comment. So sometimes I think that throws off the results (I could be wrong though).

I agree with Tami, overall activity in the group has decreased a lot over the past couple of months. But I'm assuming its just because most people are busy.

Wow, Jamie, I think all of what you wrote is true to some degree about why the group reads have ended up the way they have.

I've only been back on gr for about a month and a half but I've definitely noticed a difference. Not just in this group but on the site as a whole. At first I thought it was probably just me, but even though that's probably partially true, in general gr is different now.

Jen I agree about the vote results getting skewed by non participating members. I don't think anyone means to do it but it happens.

So for what you're asking about specifically:

For not nominating:

~I do feel obligated to lead the discussion and since I've done it once before I realized that I'm not very good at it :)

~I feel like there isn't enough participation which can be a bummer, esp if you nominated it yourself, you know?

~If I haven't actually read the book yet I feel weird nominating it because you never know... it could be a total flop and then you've just caused not only yourself to read it, but other people too. That's a responsibility I'm not sure I want to have. (I'm slightly kidding btw, I realize there is no book everybody is going to love ;)

~I also feel bad nominating a new book because people are more likely to have to buy the book, and I know esp right now that might be out of people's budget. For instance, I rarely buy books anymore, I use the library or I buy books super cheap second hand from the Friends of the Library (not likely to have brand spanking new books.)

For not participating:

All of your suggestions apply (except 4 & 6) at different times. Sometimes it just doesn't fit into my book schedule (like when the group read Like Water for Chocolate I had a couple library loans and first reads books that I needed to finish first and I just ran out of time.) I want to participate though.

More often than not it's a matter of getting access to the book since I shouldn't be buying them. If my library has it and I can get it in time (not checked out or on hold) then I can participate.

I think the lack of discussion-generating questions are the main reason, if I read the book. If I don't read it, it's because I don't like the selection made or I just don't have the time to read it. (I had every intention of reading Like Water for Chocolate but didn't get the chance!).

Since the lack of discussion is coming up, let's talk about how this can be fixed? While I'd love to be able to lead every discussion, I just don't think that is a reasonable expectation. I don't want to make it MANDATORY that you lead the discussion if you nominate, just because I understand that sometimes you have good intentions but things come up. I want it to be as laid back as possible.

What do you think about maybe having 4-5 people (in addition to myself) that rotate being the discussion leader if the person who nominated it doesn't want to do it. Just at least for ONE book. I have the schedule of themed reads so people could pick when they'd be willing to be the discussion leader based on interest in the genre?

This is just something I'm throwing out there to spark some ideas for how we can improve this.

Also, as far as results being skewed..do you think I should stop sending out the group invites to the polls? The only reason I do that is because sometimes people forget. But if I stopped doing that then it would be only active people voting?

And I agree..I feel like activity has been WAY down. I will definitely take some blame in that..I haven't been as active in the group and keeping it moving as I used to be because of the blog and stuff.

Do you think the lack of activity is because people are busy? That we've talked every topic to death? That the core group of us are "growing up" and doing other things? lol. I'm starting to think it might be time to from that "Post-Grads" group soon.

I think the lack of activity is a combination of the three things you posted. Lots of people are busy and are back in school (I think this is the main reason for less activity). I've tried looking at past topics that no one has posted on in awhile only to find that I've already made a comment along the lines of what I was thinking of writing. Also, I think a lot of the more active members have either graduated college or are in grad school now (I know this doesn't apply to everyone though!).

For the group reads I think it would be helpful to always have a designated discussion leader (that could change each month). I'm not sure what to do about the polls though. If you stop sending out the invites then even less people may vote because they don't know about the polls...but then we might get more group read participation because the majority of the people voting would be more active members.

Hmmm... I'm glad I came across this.

I've been a member of the group for a long while now, but have only started to make myself participate more recently. I think part of the reason is because I see that a lot of the discussion topics are old, and I feel kind of weird reviving something old that everyone else has already talked about. Kind of late to the party, you know? Not really sure what can cure the low participation in general, but I know I'll stop by more often and post as often as I can. Also, (Jamie I'm sorry cause I know this involves a lot of work for moderators) is there a way to filter out the members that have been inactive for say 3 to 6 months and delete them from the group? It will ensure that the people in the group actually still WANT to be in the group, and it might remind people to participate more.

As for group reads / nominations:
I don't usually nominate, mostly because I can't think of something that I really want to pick, and because I feel like hardly anybody participates in them anyways. However, when there's a group read that I am interested in, I read it and try to participate in the topic. I was actually going crazy waiting for a discussion to open about Graceling because I'd read it and couldn't wait to discuss it.

As for nominations, I really think:
1) It should be a rule that you've already read or are definitely planning to read the book that you're nominating. I wouldn't even think to nominate a book I've never read before.
2) If it was a rule to have already read the book you're nominating, it should make it easier for that person to lead the discussion. Honestly, it just seems courteous to expect to lead the discussion on the book that YOU picked. Even if someone's super busy, they should be able to pop in and post a question maybe once a week or so to keep the discussion rolling.

Also, could there be a set number of nominations each month? Say no more than 7 (or whatever), and the polls don't open until there are at least 7? It might encourage people to hurry up and get their noms in, and it would lessen the amount that people could vote on, therefore hopefully leading to a stronger choice... For example, instead of people spreading their votes among 10 to 15 different books, the same number of voters would choose one of only 7 books, and the book that wins might have a stronger majority behind it, therefore hopefully leading to more of those voters actually reading that book and participating? That might help to balance the skewed numbers a bit.

Sooo yeah... just my two cents. Don't know if my ideas help at all. Thanks for trying to address these issues Jamie!

Sarah, I agree with you about the topics. I too feel weird posting in old topics, being one of the newer members of the group.

The idea of the nominations it a very interesting.

Thanks for the feedback guys!

With nominations, there is actually a set amount that we take for each. It's in the rules for nominating each month..it's either 10 or 12. We used to always get that amount. If we don't reach that number, we open the polls after a week or so. The reason for this is that I want people to have enough time to get the book either from the library, or buy it online, etc.

As for the old topics, PLEASE bring up old topics! I tend to go through and bring back old topics and we tend to start to have good discussions on them again. There are always new people who haven't seen them so it becomes fun to discuss again. Also, sometimes I try to put a new spin on a topic that's old. Bring up something relevant to discuss within that topic!

Again, thanks for all your suggestion! Keep them coming!

First of all, it's been a while. Are you guys still sending out the monthly newsletter thing? I haven't gotten it in a while.

Second, glad to see the group still thriving! I went through a period of not really reading anymore between schoolwork, a new boyfriend and friends that I just forgot about GR.

I just nominated a group read and noticed that you have a new thing in there about writing a sentence or so about the book. What if every nomination had a blurb about what the book was about? I don't know about everyone else but I'm too lazy to go and read what some of them are about which is a shame because I could miss out on a potentially interesting book!

Molly--Welcome back! We are still sending out the monthly message..perhaps check your settings? That's weird.

And I think that is a GREAT idea to put the blurb in. When the group was smaller, I used to do a round-up of all the suggestions with a blurb but it took wayyy too long and especially now that we have more nominations it would be brutal!

That would be a great idea! I wouldn't mind posting a blurb about a book I nominate!

Excellent! Maybe I'll try it for next nominations!

Keep the feedback coming!

Basically the only reason I haven't been nominating or participating in group reads is because I have no time. There are plenty of books I'd love to nominate, but I know if I did I wouldn't actually have the time to read them! So that really has nothing to do with the group...it's just that when I finally finish an essay or my class reading, the last thing I want to do is read another book.

I do like the idea of posting a blurb on nominated books.

well the reason for me not participating is i've my CAT exam for MBA. and i'm busy with it. :(

I've just been really busy get back into school and now worrying about grad school and GRE that I haven't really had much time to participate. The couple of months before I was back in school though I still wasn't participating in group reads mostly because it seemed like no one else was either. I don't really mind reading a book that doesn't thrill me as along as there is lively discussion about it.

Hi all! Gosh, it's been AGES since I've participated in a thread. The group's gotten so big that I get overwhelmed whenever I see how many unread threads there are when I log on. That being said, I really want to start participating again, so this is looks like a good start :)

As for why I haven't nominated:

1. I feel obligated to lead the discussion
3. I don't know if I can commit to reading it so I don't want to nominate it.
4. (SOMETIMES) I don't participate in the group reads in general.

I've stopped participating in group reads because:

1. I don't like the selections
2. I don't have time/too much schoolwork
4. I read them but don't discuss

I think that also one of my main reasons for not participating is because of the overwhelming size of the group. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad people have become interested in the group, but it's sort of lost the intimacy of interacting with the same group of people you've grown close to... Just my 2 cents :)

Here are the reasons that apply to me.

Have you not nominated for group reads because:
3. I don't know if I can commit to reading it so I don't want to nominate it.
5. I never know what to choose
6. I forget to check the group during this time/I never know when the nominations are.

Have you stopped participating in group reads because:
2. I don't have time/too much schoolwork

I like to think that over school breaks I will do better and be able to participate, but even in the summers I feel busy.

I usually nominate a book every month, but so far none of them have won :(

As for not participating:

It's a combination of both too much schoolwork and also already having a list of books that I want to read for that month and I have a hard time fitting in the group read (sometimes this would fall under not liking the selections). Unless the group read is one that I really really want to read or if it's short enough that I can read it quickly, I most likely won't get to it.

Have you not nominated for group reads because:

1. I feel obligated to lead the discussion
3. I don't know if I can commit to reading it so I don't want to nominate it.
6. I forget to check the group during this time/I never know when the nominations are.

Have you stopped participating in group reads because:

1. I don't like the selections
2. I don't have time/too much schoolwork
4. I read them but don't discuss
5. The discussions are poorly lead

Those points about sum it up why, although the details are usually deeper. I have read a lot of the "college literature" already, and finding something new to nominate is hard. Otherwise, I love discussions about books!

I don't have time to participate in the group reads because during the semester I don't have time to read books for fun. :(