Facebook

PaperBackSwap Blog


Archive for September, 2010

Dear Librarian: Facebook Share, too many email alerts, those little stars

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Dear Librarian – The “share” thing on Facebook has me confused.  I thought books were always ordered in the order in which they were posted.  Are you saying that if Joe Blow shares his book on Facebook it will jump ahead of mine that I have had posted for a month now?  That’s not fair!  – Worried in Weehauken

Dear Hawk,

We understand why this seems confusing, but don’t worry  – your book isn’t “knocked out of position” by a Facebook-shared book posting.  If Joe shares a book after posting it, then if any of Joe’s friends clicks that link on Facebook, Joe’s copy will be the one requested.  However, anyone else searching the database for the same book will get the earliest-posted copy.   Yes, Joe can “jump the line” for his friends to order from him.  Although this may not seem fair, we know that members often want to request books from their friends, and this is no different than “advertising” your Bookshelf in the Book Bazaar Discussion Forum, or recommending books on your Bookshelf using the Suggest a Book feature on the site, or just telling a friend to order directly from your Bookshelf.   So if a Facebook-shared book “jumps ahead” of your copy in line it may reassure you to know that the member who requests it from that link might not have requested that particular book at all without having seen the link from his or her friend.

Again, anyone searching the database for a book (instead of using that specific link) will still request the earliest-posted copy of that book first.  So FIFO is still the backbone of the swapping system, as it always has been.

Dear Librarian — I want the audio CD version of a specific book, because it’s going to be a great one to listen to while I am commuting to and from work.  I have the audio CD version on my Wish List.  I am getting a lot of notices telling me that other versions are available, but I don’t want other versions!  I usually love those emails because I can get wish list books so easily that way.  But I don’t want these emails for this book.  How can I stop getting them, and ONLY get notified about the audio CD version of this book?  — feeling Bombarded in Boston

Dear Bossy,

Thanks for writing in about this!  It’s actually really easy to control these alerts.  You can do this from the links **within the emails themselves.** An overview of the different options you have:

(1) If you do not wish to receive any alerts about a certain book at all, and you don’t want the book, just remove all versons of that title from your Wish List.

(2) If you are wishing for specific versions (ISBNs) of all of the titles on your Wish List, and you do not wish to receive notifications about any other versions of any of your Wish List books, you can opt out of this category of email alerts. To do this, just click that link in the alert email, OR adjust your email settings on your Account Settings page.

(3) If you want to block alerts about alternate versions of a specific title only (but you want to get those alerts for other books on your Wish List), you should click the link in the alternate version alert email to opt out of alerts for that title only.  There is no way to do this from the account settings – that option is available only from the email.

So in your situation, Bossy, you would want to use option #3 – click the link in the alert email that will let you opt out of alerts for alternate versions of this title.  That should cure your bombarded feeling. 🙂

Of course you can read more about managing your PBS emails in the Help Center.

Dear Librarian – I just posted a book and the stars next to it on my Bookshelf are grey!  What do the grey stars mean?  – Puzzled in Pataskala

Dear Pat,

The stars to the right of the book are grey because no one in the club has yet rated the book. If the stars were blue that would mean other people (but not you) have rated the book. If the stars were yellow it would mean that you have rated the book.  If you have read the book, you should definitely rate it!  Those little stars do a lot to tell browsing members what books they might want to request.  If every member rated just the books on his or her Bookshelf, it would be really helpful to the whole club!


The Last Word:

As always, don‘t forget to start your Amazon shopping from the link at the top of the PBS site – when you do this, a small percentage of your purchase amount comes to us.  Please note that if you are an e-book reader, it used to be that e-book purchases at Amazon did not count to support the PBS site, but now they do! So be sure that whenever you plan to purchase on Amazon, that you start from the Amazon link at the top of the PBS site. It’s an easy, free way to support the club!

Club Member of the Month

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

Anna B. (classicana)

Anna does so much for the club in her quiet way.  She’s co-leader of both the Data Correction and Image Collection groups – and somehow makes it look easy! Always cheerful, always kind and polite, and always thinking about others, Anna got a ton of nominations:

“[Anna] not only is extremely knowledgeable about PBS, but also is warm and funny. Even though I’ve never met her and probably never will, I feel like I know her and actually that she is a friend. She personifies to me what is the “spirit” of PBS.

“Anna has been a cornucopia of encouragement and good will … I’m honestly shocked that she has never been MoM before!”

“She just goes that extra mile for you and does it without a complaint and always with a smile. She leaves me chuckling and always feeling good. She is an asset to PBS and I am so glad to be a part of a group that recognizes her efforts.”

“She has been my mentor, my sounding board, and allowed me to whine at her too! She’s always been kind and helpful.”

“Her efforts have helped make PBS the best book swapping site ever.”

“She is responsive, and helpful and kind. I want to be Anna when I grow up!!! *grin*”

Anna, we aspire to be you too! You are clearly a force of nature – and good nature at that – and you are much appreciated for all you do.  You are our Member of the Month for September.  Congratulations!

If you have any nominations for Member of the Month, submit them to us here.  Your nomination will not “expire”–anyone you nominate will have a chance at getting Member of the Month if enough nominations accumulate over time. Each month the person who has the most votes accumulated when the Newsletter goes to press gets to be Member of the Month and gets a newsletter mention and a nifty MoM icon to wear on profile and forum posts with pride.  So go for it! Tell us who’s helped you in the Forums, who’s been a great swapper, who in your opinion is a credit to PBS.  We are keeping a list of all the nominated members.  Who knows–one of them might be YOU!

‘The Lacuna’ by Barbara Kingsolver – 2010 Orange Prize Winner

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

Here’s your chance to read the 2010 winner of The Orange Prize for Fiction, “The Lacuna” by renowned author Barbara Kingsolver!

The Orange Prize for Fiction celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing throughout the world. The award is judged solely by women and awarded in June of each year. In “The Lacuna” , Barbara Kingsolver takes us on an epic journey from the Mexico City of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to the America of Pearl Harbor, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover. The Lacuna is a poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as they invent their modern identities.

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

Check it out!
Retail Price:
$26.99
Buy New: $16.99 (save 37%) or become a PBS member and pay
$13.59+1 PBS book credit (save 49%)

Local Book Club Chapter News

Monday, September 27th, 2010

New Local Chapter Leaders:

If you want to be a Local Chapter Leader for PBS, you just need to have a PBS NIckname, a viewable public profile, and some organizational skills…check the Local Chapter Leaders Forum List of Official Chapters to see if your area already has a local Chapter.  If not, and you want to do this, just contact us.  There are no formal guidelines for being a Chapter Leader.  All of the information is in the Local Chapter Leader Discussion Forum topic.    If you are an official Chapter Leader and want us to include your upcoming meetup in the Newsletter, send in a message to us with the date, at least a week before the end of the preceding month.

Book Swap

Sunday, September 26th, 2010

Take note! All of the books below are available for swapping right now:

Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay . Promise Falls is a quiet suburban neighborhood, not the kind of community where a family is shot to death in their own home. But that is exactly what happened to the Langleys one sweltering summer niht.   The town has more than its share of secrets…the Langleys weren’t the first to die and they won’t be the last.  See other highly-rated mystery books currently available for swapping
Playing for Pizza by John Grisham.  Rick Dockery was a third-string quarterback who actually got into a championship game. With a 17-point lead and just minutes to go, Rick’s performance made him a national laughingstock and got him cut immediately.  His only hope to play football now is with the Parma Panthers – in Italy!  Rick has never been to Europe and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian; to say that his new job holds a few surprises would be an understatement…Browse other General Fiction books currently available for swapping.
The Fat Boy Chronicles by Diane Lang and  Michael Buchanan. It’s bad enough being the new kid, but freshman Jimmy is also 5’5” and 187 pounds.  He’s subjected to a daily barrage of taunts and torments. His only sources of comfort are his family, his youth group, and his favorite foods. When his English teacher assigns a journal as a writing project, Jimmy chronicles his struggles and aspirations.  Inspired by a true story and told in first-person journal entries, The Fat Boy Chronicles brings to life the pain and isolation felt by many overweight teenagers as they try to find their way in our world obsessed with outward beauty.   See other Young Adult selections currently available for swapping.
Mercy Street by Mariah Stewart On a balmy spring evening, four high school seniors–three boys and a girl–enter a park in the small Pennsylvania city of Conroy. The next morning, two of the boys are found shot to death, and the girl and the third boy are gone. The missing boy’s grandmother maintains his innocence. She teams up with the detective on the case to uncover the truth.  Their investigation takes them down a twisted path to an old unsolved murder…and justice for a killer with a heart of stone.   See other Romantic Suspense books currently available for swapping.
Testimony by Anita Shreve At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal – caught on videotape! – is about to break.  A Pandora’s box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices–those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal–that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment. Testimony is a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller.  See other Contemporary Fiction books currently available for swapping.

New Overstock Books available in the PBS Market right now

Friday, September 24th, 2010

The Liar’s Diary by Patry Francis.  When a murderer strikes, the key to the crime lies in the diaries of two very different women… but only one of them is telling the truth. A chilling tour of troubled minds, The Liar’s Diary signals the launch of an immensely talented new novelist who knows just how to keep her readers guessing……  See other Thrillers currently available in the Market.

Retail Price: $24.95

Buy New (Hardcover): $3.09+1 credit (save 87%) or $6.49 (save 73%)

The Slap by Christos TsiolkasWinner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize 2009 and an international bestseller. At a suburban barbecue, a man slaps a child who is not his own.  In his controversial, award-winning novel, Christos Tsiolkas presents an apparently harmless domestic incident as seen from eight very different perspectives. The result is a deeply thought-provoking novel about boundaries and their limits… Browse other General Fiction books currently available in the Market.

Retail Price: $15.00

Buy New (Paperback): $2.59+1 credit (save 82%) or $5.99 (save 60%)

The NFL Gameday Cookbook by Ray “DR. BBQ” Lampe The fans are roaring, the pigskin is flying, and only one thing is missing . . .grub. Acclaimed author Ray ‘Dr. BBQ’ Lampe has created this cookbook specifically for NFL fans, with delicious recipes easy enough for the novice chef and also designed to travel to the game…  See more books about Cooking, Food and Wine currently available in the Market.

Retail Price: $24.95

Buy New (Paperback): $4.09+1 credit (save 83%) or $7.49 (save 69%)

We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers by Marcus Brotherton. The national bestseller of never-before-published stories from the Band of Brothers.  Here, revealed for the first time, are stories of war, sacrifice, and courage as seen by one of the most revered combat units in military history.  We Who Are Alive and Remain, recounts the horrors and the victories, the bonds they made, the tears and blood they shed – and the brothers they lost.   See more Biographies and Memoirs, currently available in the Market.

Retail Price: $16.00

Buy New (Paperback): $2.09+1 credit (save 86%) or $5.49 (save 65%)

Where Angels Go by Debbie Macomber Unabridged. Shirley, Goodness and Mercy are back! These three irresistible angels love their assignments on Earth. They especially love helping people who send prayer requests to Heaven (even though the Archangel Gabriel, their boss, knows they’re going to break his rules)…  See the Audio Book selections available in the Market now.

Retail Price: $26.95

Buy New (Audio CD): $4.09+1 credit (save 84%) or $7.49 (save 72%)

PBS News: Share on Facebook, Android App, PBS Mobile

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

Share the love – er, the book. Now when you post a book to your Bookshelf here you will have the opportunity to share the post on Facebook – not only will it allow any of your Facebook friends who are already PBS members to request that book directly from your Bookshelf, but if any of your Facebook friends who are not members click the link on your post and register, you’ll get credit for the referral.  It’s a great way to move books off your Bookshelf and spread the word about the club.  Look for the “share on facebook” option on the page you see right after you have finished posting the book at PBS.

Got Android? If you do, you need to check out the PaperBackSwap Wishing app that member jaynval created for the Android.  The app allows you to enter an ISBN (or scan a book’s barcode, if your phone has a camera) to look up the number of people in the club who are currently wishing for the book. So when you are out and about visiting used bookstores or yard sales you can tell in a “snap” if a book is something you should grab to swap here.  You can get the app by searching for “Summet” or “paperbackswap” in the Android Market.  Thanks, jaynval! Stay tuned for more mobile apps in the works.   If you are developing a mobile app for PBS or SwapaCD or SwapaDVD, please let us know.

PBS Mobile gets a facelift. For the rest of us who are waiting for mobile apps for our non-Android phones, PBS Mobile is still a great way to search the site for wished-for books and keep tabs on our own Wish and Reminder Lists and Bookshelf.  It’s a simpler interface now – check it out by going to paperbackswap.com on your phone and clicking the Enter Mobile Site link at the top of the page.  Then you can bookmark the mobile site on your mobile phone’s browser for easy return access.