Comments on "Goodreads vs. LibraryThing" - Faerye Net

2016-07-14T09:11:37+00:00

Unfortunately, I have never tried LibraryThing out, but I have been a long-time user of Goodreads and I love it. You are absolutely right about the huge difference in the number of users – just take a look at the pages of the apps on App Store. They both have an awesome rating of 4,5 stars but LibraryThing has only 22 review as opposed to 1209 reviews of Goodreads. The difference is huge!
I am completely satisfied with Goodreads, I even love the fact that I can find reviews of less experienced readers there. Although I think that they could add more functionality. Mobile app development now can do almost anything. For example, I would love it if I could read newspapers and magazine directly from Goodreads.

2015-01-19T08:35:32+00:00

I have to agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. I also use both platforms but can’t seem to get people over to LibraryThing.

2014-12-03T19:42:46+00:00

I have never used Library Thing, but I use Good Reads. Excellent website in my opinion. I have just started my own website – Never did one before, its trial and error.

2013-01-23T02:16:53+00:00

I’ve been looking for a “simpler” book cataloging site then either librarything or goodreads provides. I just want a site that allows me to catalog my personal collection without being bombarded by other people’s opinions and ratings. So far, libib.con is the winner for that.

2012-05-07T11:36:37+00:00

I love Shelfari! It does everything that LT does and is free. You can tag your books, select the correct cover for your book, read reviews and all the rest.

2012-03-27T10:44:17+00:00

Thanks for the comparison. I’ve had a LibraryThing account for some time, but haven’t used it. A posting on Facebook prompted me to look into Good Reads and thus led me to this article and all the comments. I don’t see a clear cut winner, so I’ll have to use both.

2012-03-10T14:37:11+00:00

I would disagree that the users of LibraryThing are more serious about books, or that LT has a better, more literate community. For the first couple weeks I was on the site, the community was almost nonexistent and very bland, with a complete lack of the interesting personalities that dot Goodreads. If anything, I’ve become a more broadminded, more self-aware reader because of Goodreads’s users and reviewers. Lots of great discussion I never found on LibraryThing. Plus, the lists, and groups, and even authors on the site are so much fun to interact with. And best, of all, you can add all the books you want, and never pay a dime.

2012-01-20T20:56:10+00:00

Thanks so much for your review of both websites, it was very helpful.

I have decided for Librarything, and although the interface is weird and some features are still poorly developed (such as adding books onto your library from friends’ libraries), it is definitely my cup of tea.

Thanks again.

2011-12-30T02:27:00+00:00

I’m with Goodreads all the way. I prefer it, and even though I have an account with both, I keep going back to GR. I find it easier to navigate and lots more lists, listopias and groups to check out for fun (and for reading ideas).

2011-10-10T07:37:53+00:00

hi! thanks for this! I’ve decided to use Goodreads since my Visual Bookshelf on Facebook has been closed down =( Hope I’ll enjoy GR!

2011-09-03T09:55:47+00:00

Hello,

I am an unhappy GR user. I really do not like GR sending messages to my friends every time I read a book. I know that each individual user can opt to not receive these messages, but that should be the default. I wrote to GR about this. Does anyone know if LT automatically sends emails / messages to people afte I enter a book?

Thank you,
Jeremy (UAE)

2011-08-04T23:36:35+00:00

I was using LivingSocial Visual Bookshelf, but when I came to add a review earlier this week they encouraged me to sign up to GoodReads and made this easy. Furthermore, I read this http://inkdroid.org/journal/2011/08/02/goodreads-microdata/ earlier in the week and it seems quite a good advance. However, based on what I read here and with other recommendations, I will trial using both LibraryThing and GoodReads. Dare I suggest that these become one and the same thing with the best bits from each incorporated. Peace be with you!

2011-07-18T08:20:04+00:00

Well, I’m more conflicted now than I ever was. I’ve been on Shelfari for quite a bit now and I like it… Sort of. I like my shelf, it’s easy to use, I’m just used to it and I’m a creature of habit. However, what I don’t like is the reviews and discussions section. I get very few and/or very stupid ones. I’m not going to sit here and profess to say that I’m an overly sophisticated person and I’m sure some of my reviews that I’ve written on my own blog could be tackled by people for lack of insight or whatever the case may be but “OMG! ppl have 2 rd this!” or “blah” is not the type of review I’m looking for either.

I want honest opinions and if the honest opinion is simply “Loved it!” that’s okay with me but these other ones are just not helpful and to be frank, annoying.

I tried goodreads and was very unimpressed but… I’ll be honest… I gave it a whole big day and removed my account out of frustration. That was the “creature of habit” kicking in. Having said that, I do frequent GR a lot simply to read reviews of a book I’m interested in.

I don’t mind paying or donating to be a member of a site especially when it gets rid of advertising and spam etc. So that doesn’t seem to be an issue either.

I guess my issue is being able to keep a well rounded list of my books with options of knowing whether I’ve read them, plan to read, own them, would like to own them, etc. and HELPFUL REVIEWS. Tags are a good tool as well.

The social aspect?? Ehhh, I’m indifferent to this I guess. I have facebook and hardly frequent it. I’m more into searching out books and book blogs to see if I’m missing a good book out there. So, I guess I don’t mind friending people, but it never seems to go further than that. I don’t check out their profiles to see what they’re reading nor they mine, so why bother requesting the friendship in the first place? That would strictly be for people who want to discuss books with others who have read it and I think there are forums/groups etc. for that…. or maybe I’m just anti-social! Who knows?

Anyway, I thank everyone for their comments on here. They’ve been very helpful even though I still can’t make my mind up. I have decision-making issues, what can I say? I wonder if there’s a book for that?

Export library from LT to GR

2011-05-04T09:32:42+00:00

Thank you Felicity for your original side-by-side comparison, updates and posts to various comments concerning LT and GR. Thanks as well to all those involved in the the ongoing conversation.
From the get-go, I have almost exclusively used LT for cataloging my library, however, I periodically use GR to gain access to a greater quantity of book reviews…as was originally stated by Felicity and echoed by others, GR typically lists many more reviews for a given book than does LT, though those GR reviews are not necessarily more thorough or professional. Bottom line is that I want both the detail and organizational structure of LT as well as access to more reviews for a given book, whcih GR affords.
I intend to export/mirror my LT library to/with GR and utilize both going forward.

Helpful Discussion

2011-03-29T09:09:53+00:00

Thank you so much, especially Felicity and Tim, for this article and the subsequent posts answering questions.
I’ve been a member of LibraryThing for a while, though I’m not as anal about adding all the details that are available. My biggest problem is with myself—I wish I’d known about the site sooner and had started recording books I’ve read sooner. :)
I was directed to this article today (by Google) because I’m working on two separate projects that I’m planning on merging, and I’d initially planned on using LT for those projects. Let me explain:
a) My mother has been keeping track of all the books she’s read since the 70’s. Her PC got bogged down recently (for a variety of reasons), so I offered to find an easier way to log her books—she had approximately 25 pages of a Word document listing all the books. Yikes! I was able to go in and create a user account on LibraryThing that was separate from my own account. (A huge plus!) I’ve gotten about halfway through the C’s (she lists books by authors, alphabetically), and it’s taking me forever to enter them all. I tried uploading the document, but because of the format, it won’t work.
b) I’m working on a project for school (am working towards a 2nd Bachelor’s Degree, in Library Sciences, with the hopes of becoming a public librarian). Essentially, I’m to find a Web 2.0 tool that I will use in my professional life. I had planned to do my project on LibraryThing. After stumbling upon this article, I’m realizing that Good Reads may be a better choice for patrons who simply want to keep a list of what they’ve read and what they want to read. I intended to use my mother’s list as an example.

Thank you very much for the help!

Still a good debate

2011-03-24T06:34:33+00:00

This April will mark 5 years that I’ve had a lifetime membership with LibraryThing. I tried Goodreads a few times over the last couple of years mainly because a lot of my author friends were starting to use it for promotion. Up until earlier this week, I never did anything more with GR but finally decided to export my LT data and import it into GR after more of my author friends started using it and linking it back to their FB pages. It worked, but with some tweaking (using 2 different exports – the CSV and the TAB-del to get the ratings and reviews – and modifying the headers based on the GR template) and got most of the books up. However, as much as the GR home page looks “nice” there was still something about the site that bugged me.

This post pretty much summarized my own feelings about what it’s been. I wanted a place to track and catalog my books, not a social networking site. So, for my personal library (and maintaining it), LT is my absolute choice. As for promotion, though, there’s something to be said about integrating with social networks :)

Thanks for the debate Felicity!

GR doesn't give automatic suggestions based on your previous reads/ratings....

2011-02-06T22:12:26+00:00

a big CON in my opinion. i don’t care so much about what my friends are reading – i care about what people with similar taste are reading…

LT and GoodReads

2011-01-24T20:51:35+00:00

First, I was doing a google search for something on Goodreads and this came up. I decided to read it.

While I would LOVE to sign up for LibraryThing, I’ve tried a few times, and I’ve never gotten any email or anything back from them, so I tried a different email address and got no activation email or anything, then I tried contacting the site, emailing people, and nothing back, so I went with GoodReads, and yes, I had made sure all my email settings were appropriate and checked my spam folders as well and even adding email addresses as contacts, it didn’t work.

So far with GoodReads, I haven’t been disappointed. But I am not totally into that attitude because I use GoodReads, and because it has more of a social media feel to it, implies I’m less of a reader.

Maybe sometime, I’ll give LT a try, if my email addresses ever work, until then, I’m perfectly content with GoodReads.

Re: LT Mobile Site

2010-11-17T02:30:34+00:00

Since Google is still directing people here when one types in “GoodReads vs. LibraryThing” (which I just did), I’m guessing that people are still reading this post.

I am a LibraryThing member of long standing (tried GoodReads a couple of times, including through Facebook, but didn’t care for it) and I recently obtained an Android phone.

Access to the LibraryThing site through my phone allows me to log in, post, view and edit books and — wonder of wonders — add books through a handy little LT scanner app that utilizes my phone’s camera. It’s not as fast as the CueCat attached to my laptop, but it has served me well.

So, I would say that the mobile site is fixed. And, for all the reasons listed above and more, I would encourage serious readers to join LibraryThing. It really is a pleasure to discuss books there, with a variety of well-read individuals, in addition to being able to catalogue your own library in real detail.

Thanks

2010-07-21T12:11:29+00:00

I was thinking about using one of these websites so I “asked Google” about it and ended here. Your article and comments were really helpful. As a RYM user I really like data-oriented approach of LibraryThing. I also agree with Tim about the fee: with 200+ books $25 is more like free :-) And it gives higher overall quality.