BOTM Improvements Needed

[quadbrookie]

I chose to participate in the BOTM Club because I am a relatively new member. I was shocked when I logged into the discussion board and it seemed like we should have already read the book. I thought it would have been more structured like other book clubs I have read with.

I am sure some of you on this have seen book club discussion topics and questions for reading groups at the end of some books. Mostly it would take three to five chapters, group them together, discuss and ask questions on the main topics concerning that part of the book.

I have no idea about the difficulty of getting a moderator to take over the BOTM Club. I think this would be a very positive thing if it happens because you gain a much deeper understanding of the book and you also see different ways others interpret all the different book parts of that book.

[Ryan]

Hi, quadbrokie45.

I personally like the way the BOTM is handled here and I think most other users do too. I think the type of discussion you mentioned is great for smaller groups, but this is an international website with tens of thousands of members. Structuring the reading discussion in such a way would likely become tedious for many, whereas inviting members to initiate their own discuss on a subject personal to them appeals to many more. This can be just as enlightening -- sometimes even more so -- than the other method which relies on predetermined questions and themes. I certainly don't think a Moderator should attempt to guide the discussions in any particular direction

[gali]

Hi, quadbrokie45.

I personally like the way the BOTM is handled here and I think most other users do too. I think the type of discussion you mentioned is great for smaller groups, but this is an international website with tens of thousands of members. Structuring the reading discussion in such a way would likely become tedious for many, whereas inviting members to initiate their own discuss on a subject personal to them appeals to many more. This can be just as enlightening -- sometimes even more so -- than the other method which relies on predetermined questions and themes. I certainly don't think a Moderator should attempt to guide the discussions in any particular direction

I also like the way the BOTM is right now. There is no time limit and one can join the discussions at any time.

[bookowlie]

Ryan, I agree. I already belong to an in-person book club which is very structured with discussion questions. I like the fact that BOTM discussion here is more easygoing. Sometimes members will just start their own topics and discuss favorite scenes, quotes, or pose a thought-provoking question. It's a nice, organic thing. There are no deadlines, which is also nice. Many members here juggle their review books, in-person book club picks, and their own selections. I personally like that the BOTM is not just one more deadline in the scheme of things.

-- 08 Sep 2015, 23:15 --

Quadbrokie45 - I participated in Barnes and Noble's online Book Club a few years ago (now defunct, due to the company's cutbacks). It worked in a similar way as you described, with a group of chapters discussed at a time. It was interesting, but I still prefer an overall discussion of a book, rather than analyzing a group of chapters at a time. Either way, an analysis of certain chapters would also have to be read in advance of the discussion.

[quadbrookie]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. bookowlie, I think your feedback helped the most because I had forgotten all about the week-to-week due date stressors those lead to!

[Fran]

Hi, quadbrokie45.

I personally like the way the BOTM is handled here and I think most other users do too. I think the type of discussion you mentioned is great for smaller groups, but this is an international website with tens of thousands of members. Structuring the reading discussion in such a way would likely become tedious for many, whereas inviting members to initiate their own discuss on a subject personal to them appeals to many more. This can be just as enlightening -- sometimes even more so -- than the other method which relies on predetermined questions and themes. I certainly don't think a Moderator should attempt to guide the discussions in any particular direction

@ryanj1
I agree, and I would not at all like a moderator "guiding" the discussion - that has too many echoes of school.
I like that individual members can approach the book in any way they like and discuss the book in totality or raise individual events, characters or specific chapters. I think as it is leads to a more organic and broader discussion, I would not like to see our BOTM turn into an academic high-brow discussion.

[rssllue]

Hi, quadbrokie45.

I personally like the way the BOTM is handled here and I think most other users do too. I think the type of discussion you mentioned is great for smaller groups, but this is an international website with tens of thousands of members. Structuring the reading discussion in such a way would likely become tedious for many, whereas inviting members to initiate their own discuss on a subject personal to them appeals to many more. This can be just as enlightening -- sometimes even more so -- than the other method which relies on predetermined questions and themes. I certainly don't think a Moderator should attempt to guide the discussions in any particular direction

@ryanj1
I agree, and I would not at all like a moderator "guiding" the discussion - that has too many echoes of school.
I like that individual members can approach the book in any way they like and discuss the book in totality or raise individual events, characters or specific chapters. I think as it is leads to a more organic and broader discussion, I would not like to see our BOTM turn into an academic high-brow discussion.

Agreed and agreed!

[Scott]

@quadbrokie45 You (or any member) can make topics in the BOTM forum to discuss specific chapters; it doesn't require an actual forum moderator.