You would much rather be reading than hanging out on Facebook, right? We don’t blame you. But, social media such as Instagram, Youtube, Goodreads, and Twitter can be great resources for avid readers. Through these platforms, you can connect with other book lovers, find book recommendations, and learn about the most anticipated new releases. You can also connect with your favourite authors, chat with them about their books, and find out what they’ll be writing about next.
Sounds good, right? Check out these online communities!
Instagram: #bookstagram
Instagram is a social media platform that allows bookworms to share what they’re reading through pictures and captions. Take a picture of your book, add a caption and include the hashtag #bookstagram to participate. The hashtag allows you to find other “bookstagrammers” and their posts and vice versa. You can comment on other people’s photos and begin to develop friendships with like-minded readers.
Click here to check out the #bookstagram hashtag.
Twitter: #amreading or #amwriting
Twitter is a social media platform that allows its users to use 140 character “tweets” to share updates, articles, photos, etc. Like Instagram, Twitter makes use of hashtags to connect like-minded users. Bibliophiles can attach the #amreading hashtag to their tweets about books to tap into the bookish community. You might also be interested in the #amwriting hashtag. This hashtag allows you to reach the community of writers that use Twitter. A significant number of popular writers tweet regularly, including Margaret Atwood, Rainbow Rowell, and Neil Gaiman. These authors often interact directly with their fans through Twitter as well.
Click here to check out the #amreading hashtag!
Want to follow Margaret Atwood on Twitter? Check out her profile here!
Youtube: Booktube
How can something as visual as Youtube be a haven for bibliophiles? The popular video-sharing site is host to a large community of book reviewers who refer to their community as “Booktube”. These Youtubers create videos focused on books. They share new books that they’ve just bought or been given, reviews of books they’ve read, and anything and everything related to books.
Check out the Peruse Project’s historical fiction recommendations. Her channel is just one example among many on Youtube.
Goodreads
Goodreads is the social media platform specifically for readers. It allows you to track the books you’ve read, are currently reading, and want to read. It gives you all the reading recommendations you could ever want based on the books you’ve read and enjoyed. You can write your own reviews of books on the site, thereby sharing your favourites – and least favourites – with your friends. There’s even community forums that allow you to join an online book club so you can read and chat about books to your heart’s content.
Click here to check out Goodreads.
If you’re curious about any of these social media platforms but aren’t comfortable with using them, come on out to our upcoming social media seminars! We’ll be hosting these information sessions on February 22 (Facebook and Instagram at the Picton Branch Library), February 24 (Facebook and Instagram at the Wellington Branch Library), March 1 (Twitter, Snapchat, and Goodreads at the Wellington Branch Library) and March 3 (Twitter Snapchat, and Goodreads at the Picton Branch Library). You do not need to register for these seminars, but we would love to hear if you’re planning to come!
Make sure you follow the Prince Edward County Public Library and Archives social media pages! We’re on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and would love to connect with you there!