Thing #11 LibraryThing/Shelfari

For Thing #11 I explored LibraryThing and Shelfari. When researching these sites I found that both had received investment from online book dealers -- one from an online bookseller that specializes in used, rare and out of print books and the other from an online bookseller that offers books and pretty much everything else (see footnote 1). If you compare the composition and design of both LibraryThing and Shelfari it is easy to guess who initially backed them financially (see footnote 2).


I liked the idea of using LibraryThing, but balked at the idea of paying for the service if I cataloged over 200 books. Some co-workers use Shelfari, now I do too. Shelfari even had an option to customize my "bookshelf" with rosewood, my favorite of all woods (see footnote 3).



1) Amazon's original investment in Shelfari was $1 million and recently purchased them outright. AbeBooks was an investor in LibraryThing. The developer of LibraryThing, Tim Spalding, has been quite critical of Shelfari. (Perhaps rightly so, but to me he comes across as snarky.) Here's where the world of LibraryThing/Shelfari gets interesting. Amazon, in addition to having recently purchased Shefari, has now purchased AbeBooks. Since AbeBooks owns a 40% share of LibraryThing and Amazon just bought AbeBooks it's almost as if Amazon owns both of these competing book networks.


2) LibraryThing is quirky and esoteric. The design isn't too flashy, but they are high on substance. It's not too surprising that they found venture capital from a business specializing in used and rare books. On the other hand Shelfari is visually appealing. The layout and design contributes to its ease of use. Again, not surprising that Amazon (a retailer skilled at making things easy to find) controls Shelfari.


3) Rosewood is useful in the making of musical instruments, especially guitars. My favorite guitars, Fender Stratocasters, feature necks made of solid maple or maple with rosewood fretboards. Maple has a brighter, punchier tone. Rosewood produces a slightly warmer, more mellow tone. Emphasis is added because if you recorded two different guitars and listened back to them you might not be able to tell the difference. Rosewood fretboards feel better to me and perhaps the difference is as much psychological as it is sonic. On a side note, I have noticed that the overall quality of wood from guitars made today differs from those made even ten years ago. There is often a visible difference in the grain and darkness of materials such as rosewood. A quick ProQuest search led me to an interesting article on the topic of timber used for guitars and how manufacturers are trying to reduce their environmental impact. See: "The Future of Tonewood." Acoustic Guitar, February 1, 2008, 80-86.