The Decline of Goodreads

The Decline of Goodreads

What's going on at Goodreads and why is it seemingly in decline?

Established members have dropped dramatically in the last few years and it's hard to ignore.

I usually write detailed reviews and struggle to get half as many likes as reviews just previously chucked down on page, maybe because of the old-fashioned books I read, maybe because of something else?

I run a reading group called Horror or Heaven and although the member count is still creeping up, it's a pretty static-two-steps forward one-step-back experience - people have left Goodreads in droves and there are multiple reasons why - although the committed fanbase still exists.

I still really like the notes and highlights from Kindle aspect of Goodreads (if you can find affordable books) - it's a unique feature - but if all you want is to keep track of your books there are better websites out there to invest in from the start.

So what is Goodreads doing wrong?

Goodreads is owned by Amazon, who also own IMDB, and if you've ever used that site you'll know it's not the most intuitive user experience. It's designed to promote movies in the same way that Goodreads promotes books. There's an announcement each day at the top/right of the main Goodreads page, linking to the best books of the summer, most popular reads of the year, etc., it's what Goodreads does to promote and therefore sell books, which they make a profit from.

If you participate in a reading group there's now a massive advertising banner at the top of the page and if you don't have a dedicated group banner of your own, this becomes your introductory banner - it's an eyesore that forces you into using add-blocking software to eliminate it.

So what, you might be thinking - it's Amazon’s website and they can do whatever they want with it, but their “if it ain't broke don't fix it” attitude has become more blatant over the years and people are getting tired of how they tag on more promotions and advertising to sell more books and generate extra revenue.

Goodreads is no longer geared towards a good user experience

The user experience is no longer their priority - if it was they'd overhaul it, invest the millions needed and get things properly on track.

What about the tacked on app they created years ago - so inconsistent and bare bones I don't even use it - now uninstalled - instead switching between the mobile and desktop versions - including app-based irritants like not being able to reply to other people's posts in your group, not listing the most recent posts, plus random and jumbled presentation.

Goodreads need to urgently revamp the reading group experience and do it fast or continue to lose members, and not gain new ones. On mobile it runs like one of those sites from 20 years ago, not adapted for mobile at all.

Top management probably thought, that'll do.

And they've removed direct messaging completely for their own security-related motives, which forces people to use third-party applications for conversation privacy.

I recently got an invite to a reading group with thousands of members, but only one inexperienced moderator who had recently joined Goodreads and has only half-a-dozen listed books. All the founding moderators have left or are on permanent hiatus and never coming back. Have they stopped reading books? Maybe some have, but no way!

Goodreads now feels like a bad investment because they are no longer investing in it in return, just updating lists, tinkering and doing what they need to do.

If you've been waiting for improvements you're going to carry on waiting, meanwhile new books are released and nobody really cares or notices.

What's the gut feeling about the decline?

People are smart and sense that Goodreads (Amazon) are no longer investing in the site. It's simply an established platform to promote and sell books and they don't really care about the user experience because that doesn't generate enough income for them.

Each day I get closer to finally jumping ship and only my commitment to my reading group and a bit of laziness and fear stops me from doing so. 

From my past input with IMDB, they're never going to enhance the user experience and it feels like an enterprise that doesn't have much interest in me, its members, or the user experience.