How is everyone getting by on LT?

DiscussieShelfarians on LibraryThing

Sluit je aan bij LibraryThing om te posten.

How is everyone getting by on LT?

Dit onderwerp is gemarkeerd als "slapend"—het laatste bericht is van meer dan 90 dagen geleden. Je kan het activeren door een een bericht toe te voegen.

1Raspberrymocha
sep 21, 2016, 12:52 pm

I'm getting the hang of LT. I still miss all the fun very active groups of Shelfari. I feel like the connections between people here are very tenuous at best. I'm trying to fit in, but there simply aren't the groups to join, at least ACTIVE groups. I feel like so many online acquaintances are lost for good. Oh well, life moves on. If I ever get a computer, I'd love to start up a few groups. The challenges here aren't what I'm needing as they, like so much on LT, are very impersonal. Facts are interesting, but books are as much the people reading them as the facts. I love fun discussion of books. Just wanted to know where all of you are hanging out on this site.

2.Monkey.
sep 21, 2016, 1:53 pm

You're only going to get out of this site what you put into it. If you keep looking at it going "it's not good enough; it doesn't have X or Y; people aren't friends" and so forth, that's all you're going to see. There are a lot of active groups of all sorts, which I have repeatedly asked you what kind you are looking for, with no answer. There are tons of people who are incredibly friendly with each other, including meeting up, even while traveling in other countries. There are tons of book discussions of all sorts all over, all you have to do is look.

3ScoLgo
sep 21, 2016, 2:16 pm

>1 Raspberrymocha:

Hi Rbm,

I read a lot of science fiction, historical fiction, and some mystery/thriller stuff so those are the sorts of groups I tend to haunt the most. As far as specific groups...

The Green Dragon group has a lot going on and there are some lively discussions there - about all sorts of topics. You might find that a fun hangout. I don't post there a lot but I do follow the discussions, (translation: I mostly lurk ;).

I also enjoy the postings in Movie Lovers Plus 2.

I'm sure there are plenty of other great groups as well - but I just don't have enough time in the day to explore much - unless I give up reading time - and that is already impacted enough!

Maybe click 'Talk' at the top of your screen and browse any topics that look interesting to you? I'm sure with a bit of exploring you will find some fun people with whom to discuss books and other subjects.

4Raspberrymocha
sep 21, 2016, 3:14 pm

Polite civil conversation is appreciated.

5Raspberrymocha
sep 21, 2016, 3:55 pm

>3 ScoLgo: I thank you for your ideas!😀I have been to Green Dragon a bit, but it is so huge a group that it can be somewhat daunting! Been browsing through the talk function. I'm simply wondering what "former Shelfarians" are finding that appeals to them here. It's always fun to see where everyone is going and and what new things they are enjoying. Fun to link up with familiar faces.

6Darth-Heather
Bewerkt: sep 21, 2016, 6:53 pm

>5 Raspberrymocha: I saw a group called Needlearts that you might peek at. Another one that looks nice is "Gardens & Books" that seems to have a decent amount of activity. I notice a Cookbookers one that doesn't have a lot of posts but maybe you can change that :)

I think you'd like the Movie Lovers one that ScoLgo mentioned in >3 ScoLgo:. And Julie is keeping the Biographies and Memoirs one busy too.

7ScoLgo
Bewerkt: sep 21, 2016, 11:17 pm

>5 Raspberrymocha: You can filter the threads within a group that don't interest you by clicking 'Ignore topic' at the top of the thread. This is very handy for a mega-group like Green Dragon where there is such a wealth of topics - many of which I find more interesting than others... ;)

I will add that I rarely use the main 'Talk' tab. Instead, I split my home page into two columns, (the setting can be found at the bottom of the home page), and keep my personal 'Talk' feed in the upper right, (reorder modules - also at the bottom of the page). With the 'Groups and posts' header enabled, the latest posts in the groups I frequent bubble to the top. Clicking an 'unread' link takes me directly to those latest posts within that group. For me, this is super convenient for keeping up with group activity.

A picture might help explain it better... here is a screen shot of the top portion of my home page, (click the thumbnail for a full-size view - then click/tap your back button to return to LT):



Hope this helps!

8bhabeck
sep 22, 2016, 3:10 pm

>7 ScoLgo: that's how I've set my screen as well. It's a quick way to see if things are going on for a topic I'm following.

I haven't figured out if there's a way to mark an entire group for new messages (maybe I just didn't look hard enough) and that's the one draw back to the way we're managing the book discussions in M&S...you can't see at a glance if there's been new activity without starring up to 50 topics

9MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: sep 22, 2016, 3:36 pm

If you join or watch groups you can click on 'your groups' or 'groups and posts' to just see the ones you are interested in. This works both on the talk page and in talk on your home page.

I did that for a long time, but now I use all topics - I've just 'ignored' a lot of groups and topics that don't interest me in the meantime.

10Raspberrymocha
sep 23, 2016, 3:18 am

>7 ScoLgo: I'd love to do this, but I don't own a computer. I do everything on my iPhone. The split screen makes the tiny even tinier on a phone screen. But, I bet it's wonderful on a large screen.

11Raspberrymocha
Bewerkt: sep 23, 2016, 3:26 am

Do any of you former Shelfarians use Tinycat? I've been thinking about trying it out. I have a 3500+ volume home library. Right now, I'm using Libib as it is free and has a scanning function. Been debating about this, as it looks to be free for personal use with Lifetime LT membership. I especially like the idea of having my non-fiction and reference really organized. What say you all?

12Raspberrymocha
sep 23, 2016, 3:30 am

>6 Darth-Heather: Thank you. I'll look for those. Sounds like things I'd like. I've been looking for a group of antique collectors, but haven't found one as of yet.

13JulieLill
Bewerkt: sep 25, 2016, 8:37 pm

Anybody, please join the biography and memoirs group. I am on there and maybe one or two other people but I would like to see it grow.

14JulieLill
sep 25, 2016, 8:39 pm

What Are You Reading Now? is a popular group too. You might want to look into that too.

15threadnsong
sep 27, 2016, 10:03 am

Hi JulieLill and thanks for the invitation. I had been reading more biographies through the Bios, AutoBios, and Memoirs group on Shelfari, so I'll definitely join it and help your group grow.

16threadnsong
sep 27, 2016, 10:10 am

Hi Raspberrymocha. I'm a former Shelfarian, via Leafmarks, and like you I've had to get used to a whole new different set of screens and groups. It's quite an undertaking but with "baby steps" I'm starting to get the hang of it all.

Like ScoLgo said, the Green Dragon group is fun. I usually post what I do on weekends since weekends are usually the time I spend updating LT. It's a huge group and so I looked at one or two threads that I could feel comfortable updating.

Also, DustyDigger has started a few Science Fiction threads and has brought back the "First Lines" challenge from Shelfari. Yay! I always go blank when I read the first lines but it's great to see that familiar thread coming back.

And one of the things I miss most about Shelfari? Tracking how many books I had read per year. Leafmarks had its own way, and now there's the Read It, Track It Group. There's also a 75 Book Challenge group (way too many for me, sadly), and I think the Green Dragon allows its members to also track the books they've read per year. Not quite the same, but a little bit of a different take on it.

So since I'm at a coffee shop waiting for the traffic to die down, I think I'm going to update my books read at Read It, Track It since that's long overdue.

Hope you can find your way around LT, and hope these tips from everyone have helped!

17Raspberrymocha
sep 28, 2016, 4:11 am

>16 threadnsong: It's just nice to hear what everyone is up to. I just wish I had a computer, as doing this all on an iPhone can be daunting! I miss the yearly read tracking, but I put a 2016 Read shelf on my books shelf. It helps. Not as handy, but better than nothing. Now, if I could remember how I did it, so I can do it for next year. Lol!

18.cris
sep 28, 2016, 4:18 am

>17 Raspberrymocha: I have no idea how you manage on a phone. That would frustrate the life out of me. Fortunately I have a clever son-in-law who has wired my computer and Wi-Fi into my TV, so I don't even need my glasses!

19Raspberrymocha
Bewerkt: sep 28, 2016, 4:45 am

>18 .cris:. I'm getting very fast at typing with one finger! But, glasses must be on to read the tiny print. However, I like a challenge. Lol!Hopefully I will treat myself to a desktop computer this coming winter. I'd like a laptop for convenience, but I'm not good on flat keyboards and the goofy scrolling mouse. Every time I borrow my stepson's laptop, I come close to a meltdown trying to type on a flat surface. I rarely use laptops when I taught, as I like the angled keyboard of a desktop. I guess that's what happens when one learned to type on a manual typewriter all those decades ago (electric typewriters were for advanced classes!)

20.cris
sep 28, 2016, 5:02 am

>I love my PC. I have portable hard drives with all my films and audiobooks on, so everything is available all the time, no rootling about in cupboards looking for that series of I Claudius that you know you put somewhere, and I can't get on with the lap top mouse/not mouse.

21Raspberrymocha
Bewerkt: sep 28, 2016, 5:34 am

I have an alphabetized collection of CDs and books in my home library. DVDs, VHS, LPs and cassettes are alphabetized in family room. I hate the thought of losing everything if the the PC dies. I'm strictly a hardcover book person, as Kindles, etc give me severe headaches.

22.cris
sep 28, 2016, 5:40 am

>21 Raspberrymocha: I'm completely the opposite. I can't bear "stuff". Books are never the same size and in the same condition. The sight of them hurts my OCD eyes, although it's risky keeping everything electronically.

23dustydigger
sep 28, 2016, 5:57 am

Rasp,what sort of tags did you use on shelfari? I always tagged all my books by year and author. Are you familiar with the ''Clouds'' feature along the bar on your LT home page? All our shelfari tags are there,though the letters are too big for popular tags,and there are no commas separating adjacent tags. Back on shelfari I used the tags tucked so neatly under the first page of our personal bookshelf everyday,now not so much because of the aforementioned downsides,but it was great to come to LT and find all my old stuff there.It was a nightmare on Leafmarks since all the tags,known as ''shelves'' there were in that neverending list on the side,it was just quicker to type in a tag than scroll down.I still find the cloud useful when checking out what books I have by an author.
Now if only there was some way of reducing the size of those letters,and adding commas,the cloud feature would be just like the old days :0)

24Raspberrymocha
sep 28, 2016, 10:34 am

>23 dustydigger: I haven't messed with the cloud. When I read a book, I made a "shelf" of 2016 Read. Don't remember how I added the shelf to the library collections though! I have a sieve for a brain as of late.

25Hope_H
sep 28, 2016, 11:07 pm

I've been keeping track of my reading in the 12x12 Challenge group. If that folds, I will have to come up with something else.

I haven't been real active on LT - too much going on right now, but as things settle down, I hope to do more. I need to look around for a few more active groups. RM - if you started an antique collectors' group, I'd join!

26macsbrains
sep 29, 2016, 4:31 pm

>23 dustydigger: You don't need to use the cloud to look at your tags, use can use the tag view of your catalog. When you are looking at your catalog, there is a drop down menu right next to the "List" and "Covers" button. There you can see a nice list of your tags that are editable and combinable. See pic

27MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: sep 29, 2016, 4:53 pm

>26 macsbrains: That space in the menus is used for various things, so if you don't see 'Tags', drop down that menu to find them. The last item you used from the menu remains visible.

You get back to the normal catalogue view by clicking on list.

28LibraryCin
nov 18, 2016, 8:49 pm

>25 Hope_H: I've been keeping track of my reading in the 12x12 Challenge group. If that folds, I will have to come up with something else.

I think Dusty has said she'll probably shut it down at the end of this year. I wasn't likely to go back to the group next year, as I really do keep track of my 12x12 over in the Category Challenge group, as well. (Plus on GR... too many places!).

If you are interested in checking out the Category Challenge group, the group for 2017 is here:
http://www.librarything.com/groups/2017categorychalleng

There are many more challenges also going on there, but you can always just start your own thread for your 12x12 and leave it at that. I think that's the way that group started... I think.

I watched the rest of the challenges in the first year I joined the group, then joined in the next year. It's a really fun group with fun challenges!

29MarthaJeanne
nov 19, 2016, 4:21 am

>28 LibraryCin: Actually it started years ago here: http://www.librarything.com/groups/888challenge

The next few years worked fairly well, but 17 books in each of 17 categories in 2017 is setting the target too high for most of us.

30LibraryCin
nov 19, 2016, 3:30 pm

>29 MarthaJeanne: Oh, yes! I knew it started way back! This particular 12x12 group that Hope mentioned (I'm pretty sure it's the one she is referring to, anyway) is one that Dusty started with shelfari people, but I think she will be shutting it down at the end of this year, as there isn't as much participation and there are other groups that handle that type of challenge.

31Hope_H
dec 16, 2016, 8:52 pm

Thanks, Cin! I'm looking at either the Category Challenge or the Read It; Track It group. I mostly just need a spot to keep some really long lists!

32Andrew-theQM
Bewerkt: dec 17, 2016, 8:21 am

>31 Hope_H: >30 LibraryCin: >29 MarthaJeanne: We'd be happy for you to use the Read It, Track it Group to track your reading Hope and for really long lists that's exactly what the group is there for. I will continue tracking my reading on there and do my 12x12 Challenge (or whatever x whatever challenge I choose for 2017!) there. It's totally flexible. I think Dusty was looking to do her 12x12 challenge there. All welcome :) You will also see some friendly faces there.

33MarthaJeanne
dec 17, 2016, 9:05 am

I think you will find that touchstones are easier to manage if you split the lists into several messages within the topic.

Any of the challenge groups can be used for this purpose. The category challenge group and the 75 books challenge group both have other activities to participate in as well for those who want to.

34LibraryCin
dec 17, 2016, 5:07 pm

As an extra "promo" for the Category Challenge group, for shelfari users, there are now at least 3 former shelfarians there: me, Kristel, and sushicat just joined the group, as well. I can't recall off the top of my head if there are other shelfarians, but if it will make any other shelfarians more comfortable, there are a few of us there! :-)

35Hope_H
Bewerkt: dec 18, 2016, 3:27 pm

For now I've joined the Read It Track It group, and I'm watching the Category Challenge. I find I do better in groups - especially large groups - after I've watched them for a while. (Why, yes, I am an introvert!)

36LibraryCin
dec 18, 2016, 3:28 pm

>35 Hope_H: That's what I did with the Category Challenge group to start, as well. :-)

37threadnsong
jan 2, 2017, 12:42 pm

Thank you LT for the PowerEdit key! I realized that I have way too many books tagged with "to read" when what that tag means on this site is "yes, I'd like to read them but I don't own them". Or "wishlist". It's so, so much easier to look through my ginormous "to-read" tag and with the PowerEdit on, know which ones I really do have on my shelf, and which ones I clicked on as a recommended book on Shelfari.

Back to clicking and editing . . .

38threadnsong
jan 2, 2017, 12:46 pm

I'm with you, Hope_H! I created my reading challenge a few days ago on Read It Track It group since it's smaller and I've spent much more time there, and I think I'm going to take a deep plunge, with LibraryCin's encouragement, and put one of my reading lists on the Category Challenge group. It will be my ginormous TBR list, and I'm following the theme of Shelfari in that I intend to read different genres per month. I really liked the constant feedback on the different categories-per-month that we had on Shelfari, and I'm hoping to see again with both of these groups.

39Bettesbooks
jan 30, 2017, 9:49 am

>19 Raspberrymocha: I'm with you I hate no mouse on my laptop so spent 15$ and got wireless mouse, I just sit it next to me. I also disabled the mousepad because too frequently my hand resting on the keyboard for typing would move the cursor everywhere, causing a mess! These are tips if you ever get a laptop.
I also use my kindle fire and kindle pad for updates because they have wi-fi connection and much bigger screens than my phone. But, like my laptop best.

40Bettesbooks
jan 30, 2017, 9:53 am

>23 dustydigger:, >26 macsbrains: Dusty, I use the tag menu as macsbrains printed, when you use it you can edit the tag if you made a typo or want to change it to different name. Fast and easy.

41dustydigger
feb 1, 2017, 5:26 am

EEK! I havent be on here since the end of September. Health problems led to much less activity on LT,as I find sitting at the computer hard going. I havent even looked at the ''Cloud'' for months,editing etc have pretty much gone by the board,as have reviews,but I finally had my knee op about 8 weeks ago,and am hoping to be able to be online more often in a matter of weeks.
I was just a bit nostalgic about using the Cloud because of shelfari memories,but found the layout a bit hard on the eyes,so I just use my tags mostly.
I too am using Read It,Track It for my 12x12 and monthly reads lists,and hope to add other lists etc there as and when I am once more up and running.I have lots and lots of lists I am working through bit by bit! lol.For the most part I have left several groups which were high maintenance,or are duplication of effort,or were rather too big and sprawling,like Green Dragon.Computer time was at a premium,so I had to make decisions on how to use my time.

42ThomasWatson
feb 2, 2017, 2:53 pm

>41 dustydigger: I keep losing track of this one, too. And I lack any real excuses!

43threadnsong
feb 17, 2017, 11:58 am

I have a simple question about message formatting, and thank you to all the helpers who have aided me in navigating thus far.

How do I add a strikethrough to part of a message? As in, I want to correct a particular month's reading challenge and type in a new reading challenge.

I'm familiar with using the boldface feature, and now I can add a previous poster's name and post number, so this strikethrough is the next computer learning step.

For LibraryThing helpers, is there a place on the Common Knowledge group that has message embellishments? I checked that group and the FAQ section and didn't locate anything there (which could be operator error!)

44macsbrains
feb 17, 2017, 12:08 pm

>43 threadnsong: I know there's this thread from the Green Dragon group that has formatting info: https://www.librarything.com/topic/177029

45lorannen
feb 17, 2017, 12:09 pm

>43 threadnsong: You might find this page helpful for your HTML questions: https://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/HelpThing:Html_tips. It includes strikethrough!

Regarding Common Knowledge—can you elaborate on what you mean by "message embellishments"? I'm not familiar with that as a field or term here on LT, but I could be misremembering something!

46MarthaJeanne
feb 17, 2017, 12:14 pm

'Common Knowledge' refers to the section of the main work page where you can information that relates to the work and not just to your particular copy. Series, various titles, characters, Original Publication Date, Original Language.

No, you won't information about using talk in the CK group or help.

47.cris
feb 17, 2017, 1:03 pm

>43 threadnsong: Do you mean like this strike through. It's the same as "bold", but replace the "b" and "/b" inside the pointy brackets with the word "strike".

48LibraryCin
feb 17, 2017, 7:05 pm

Just an fyi that you can also underline or italicize using u or i instead of b for bold.

49threadnsong
mrt 7, 2017, 11:10 am

>45 lorannen: >47 .cris: Thank you! I was able to get back to my original listing on the "2017 Reading Challenge" group and strike through what I didn't read in February. Cuz, February.

I'm really enjoying LT and its many features. Now if there were only more hours to stay on it all day and read through everyone's posts in the many groups! But that's what lottery tickets are for.