AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

Web Sites Let Bibliophiles Share Books Virtually - NPR

Bookish people may not be known for their social skills, but a crop of social-networking Web sites aimed at bibliophiles are allowing readers to connect with the page — and with each other — in a brand new “virtual” environment.

Think of it as Facebook or MySpace for people who’d rather browse in a book shop than go to a party. Book-centered sites like LibraryThing, Goodreads, Shelfari, aNobii and BookJetty, among others, allow readers to keep track of books they have read or books they want to read or buy — and see what others are reading and recommending.

Book social networking is believed to have begun in 2005, when Tim Spaulding, founder of LibraryThing, launched the site as a way to organize his own personal book sprawl. The site took off immediately, and Spaulding added ways to socialize and exchange information about books.

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