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Messages: Feature requests
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Would be good if search returned only the hits you asked for
HI there! I searched for "After You'd Gone", and was delivered a list of all editions of "After You'd Gone" by Maggie O'Farrell *and* all editions of "After You've Gone" by Joan Lingard. Okay, I should have looked more carefully, but it *never* occurred to me that asking for "After YOU'D Gone" would turn up "After YOU'VE Gone" -- and I didn't realize the situation until a copy of the wrong book turned up. Hey, it's probably a great book, too -- this isn't the end of the world -- but why would a search with "You'd" give me results for "You've"?? Would be really good to make it such that the search returns the results asked for, without sending unrelated, but similar, titles. I know -- like you have time for this!! Sorry, but maybe you could add it to the list of nice features that could happen sometime, maybe.
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Mary Ellen
18 days ago
5 comments
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| (16 days ago) | I didn't try this search myself, so I didn't know if it was an automatic OR search.
It could be an automatic spell-change (similar to whtat Google and others offer) searching for both versions of commonly mis-spelled or confused words.
> I'd just like the search to send me hits on the term I searched for. Seems straightforward; I'm not asking for the world. Thanks!
Yes, that would be nice. Or if at least the programmers would chip and explain things definitly instead of leaving us guessing...
- nonameblue | | (16 days ago) | NO--wait a minute. That can't be right, either.
If the basic search is coded as an OR search, then handing it the string AFTER YOU'D GONE should return every book in the database with AFTER in the title, and every book with GONE in the title, and every book with YOU'D in the title.
That is clearly not what happened!
- Mary Ellen | | (16 days ago) | SORRY!! Oh, I'm an IDIOT. I said I took your point, but I wasn't really thinking -- duh. BIG apologies
If the search function at BookMooch is an OR search all the time, I've never noticed it!
I will take more care in the future.
I wish it would just accept my search terms, and search on them. Sigh.
VERY sorry to give you that dough-headed response above.
(Slinks away and shuts up.)
- Mary Ellen | | (16 days ago) | Thanks for your reply! I take your point, but I don't believe the situation has to do with Boolean operators, either explicit ones or ones hidden from the user but coded into the search function. Whether you use an AND or an OR operator on my string of three search terms, AFTER YOU'D GONE, you can't end up with the string AFTER YOU'VE GONE.
That is, you cannot generate AFTER YOU'VE GONE by using AND or OR operators on the string AFTER YOU'D GONE; the search function is (generously, I'm sure, but not appropriately) giving me hits on a different search term from the one I entered!
It may be trying to (un)helpfully give me a broader search than the one I requested, in essence returning the wrong results and calling it a feature rather than a bug...
I'd just like the search to send me hits on the term I searched for. Seems straightforward; I'm not asking for the world.
Thanks!
- Mary Ellen | | (16 days ago) | I Think this is because of how the search is adjusted. Basically, if you enter more than one word, a search engine can either do:
Boolean AND search: all words in the search box must appear in the hits
Boolean OR search: any of the words in the search box can appear in the hits
Obviously, the OR search gives much more hits.
The problem is when
a) the search engine doesn't explain how it's programmed
b) the search engine doesn't accept explicit Boolean terms (e.g. if you put a phrase in citation marks "like this" it should return only hits with "like this" in them, not do a standard OR search; if you enter like AND this it should do an AND search, etc.
But badly programmed search engines do not accept standard Boolean operators.
Explaining the way the standard search is done and what terms to use for advanced searches is what a well programmed engine has on their help or advanced page.
- nonameblue |
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History Topic
Hello, I'd be interested in a history topic to be added that can be searched under for books. Thanks,
David
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daithi_dearg
21 days ago
no comments
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acceptance of an international request
As my account is set to 'ask first' I get the emails asking me if I am willing to send. It's always struck me that at this point it would be good if you attach a message to the return email, for instance 'have you read the condition notes', 'I may have to delay' etc. It seems a little odd that I say I am willing to send, the requester then mooches and its at this late point that I get to give information that could lead to them cancelling the request which then shows up in the statistics of both accounts. At the moment I'm having to delay some books by a month and I know that some people will not read my bio stating this and the system makes me feel bad by saying yes you can mooch the book, it's mooched, and then I delay for a month. I would prefer to be honest at the outset. I know that I could send an email to the requester but surely a second line of communication when you could do it all in one is a little clumsy?
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donna
7 months, 16 days ago
1 comment
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| (4 months, 22 days ago) | When you send an e-mail you don't have to use the "I am willing to send" form as well. The moment people ask they will be able to mooch too. They just shouldn't until they have received some kind of answer from you.
I do recommend telling people that they can mooch, as many people are waiting for the answer from the "ask first" form.
So, you can send an e-mail saying, for instance:
Thank you for inquiring about my book.
Unfortunately, I have to delay for a month.
If you're OK with that, you can mooch now, you don't have to wait for further confirmation.
- wester |
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Moochable related editions
It would be pleasing if the Show Moochables Now option on the pulldown menu on our wishlist page would also bring up the currently moochable related editions that are highlighted in red next to our wishlist books..
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Margaret H.
5 months ago
no comments
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Browse by Award Class
I'm working my way down the Pullitzer list and the Newbery Award list and a few others. It would be nice to see what books that appeared on these lists were moochable. I think that this would be a great browse by category and the data is readily available...
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Stephen
6 months, 21 days ago
1 comment
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| (6 months, 14 days ago) | If you're a sometime user of Librarything you can :
• Select in your account settings which swap sites you have access to / a presence on (BM is one of the possibilities)
• Turn on an option that displays, on each book page, copies wanted or available on the swap sites selected earlier.
• (Assuming users filled in the relevant data) Browse awards' list of winners looking out for any that may be up for mooching.
This number will be a mix of all editions included in that work, so may include copies in languages you don't read or books that happen to be technically unavailable due to international shipping restrictions from their owners. It's also updated at intervals rather than real-time so not always useful for the faster-moving books. Still may be worth a look.
- Aude |
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Korean language support
Whenever there is a book title in Korean, the title will not show. Rather is will say "title in Korean". Which, by the way is exactly what I would expect from a book published in Korean. Is it possible to have Korean character support so I can see the book title? I know there aren't that many Korean books here but if we can have Japanese and Chinese character support I don't see why Korean should be an exception. Please?
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Joan
7 months, 9 days ago
no comments
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Wiki Link Button
Dear John, If it's not a lot of work, will you please move the Wiki link button to the Member Home Page. On the upper right-hand side above the "Name" would be a pretty good location and, if you could somehow highlight it to make it stand out from page features (different shape/size/colour than the other buttons), it would be so much easier to find. It's currently hiding under the Member Home Page "About" button and seems to be especially hard for new members to find -- not to mention us old folks with dodgy memories. Thank you for considering my request and for everything you do to keep BookMooch running. BMID: canuck_jenni
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Jenni Canuck
8 months, 9 days ago
4 comments
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| (8 months, 6 days ago) | @ Sarah :: Well, I think that just proves that the button would benefit from making it more visible. Almost four years I've been on BookMooch and I never noticed it :(
@ donna :: Any BM member can update the wiki and, over this past year, I’ve made some updates.
BMID: canuck_jenni
- Jenni Canuck | | (8 months, 6 days ago) | unless the wiki info has been updated there is really little point in encouraging new members to read it!
- donna | | (8 months, 6 days ago) | the button with the question mark is a link to the wiki and it appears on most pages
- Sarah | | (8 months, 7 days ago) | Great idea!
- Melanie C. |
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Include BMJournals in "recent" list
BMJournals have hand-entered IDs.
As hand-entered IDs are not included in the "recent" feed, this therefore excludes BMJournals. If software changes could be made so that hand-entered items are included in the "recent" feed, then BMJournals (and other items) would be more visible and possibly more likely to be mooched.
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jacquie
8 months, 12 days ago
2 comments
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| (8 months, 10 days ago) | @Cara - it's rather random. As far as I can tell journals often show up, but not always; hand-entered audio and periodicals almost never make the "recent" feed.
- jacquie | | (8 months, 12 days ago) | I've seen BM Journals and other hand-entered books in the recent feed before. Has that changed?
- Cara |
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Phone app
Could we get a phone app? I know there's the mobile website, but an app would save a few steps.
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Kate Neids
10 months, 6 days ago
1 comment
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| (8 months, 28 days ago) | I agree, but not just for iphone users. Quite a few people, including me, are Android users. I find the mobile version of the site unappealing to say the least but an app could have potential!
- Larry |
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| (11 months, 12 days ago) | @Sarah, sorry, but it wasn't clear.
- donna | | (11 months, 12 days ago) | @Donna - what a good idea - the different color on the actual wishlist would be great, easier than going all the way to the Member Home to check their status.
- Denise | | (11 months, 13 days ago) | donna, I was responding to Denise's question of how to define "active".
- Sarah | | (11 months, 13 days ago) | Yes, but if I list a book and it says it is on 30 wishlists I expect it to go pretty fast. The reality is not so, as many of those members will be inactive. I have to go to each members home page to see their status, if they were listed in a different colour I wouldn't have to trawl lists like that.
- donna | | (11 months, 13 days ago) | The system already says "possibly inactive" when you have not logged in for more than 30 days. That would be a simple way to differentiate.
- Sarah | | (11 months, 13 days ago) | @Denise - I agree. If you defined active in terms of books mooched then consider this - if your desired books don't show up on here, you possibly don't mooch a great deal. That would make you less 'active' and therefore put you further down the list which would compound the issue.
I really wish the long term inactives (one year and longer) could be removed from wishlists, or at the very least have their details show in a different colour on lists etc so you could clearly see their status. And before anyone suggests that doing that would be singling a member out and drawing attention, yes it would, that's the purpose and if they're not on the site anymore they wouldn't notice anyway!
- donna | | (11 months, 14 days ago) | Biggest problem: Define "active."
Active in terms of sending books?
Active in terms of mooching books?
Would these count equally, or would it be a combination of both?
I sometimes send an extra book or two for 0 points that doesn't enter the system, so though that is more active than the system registers it puts one at a disadvantage.
I like the basic idea, though. I like any idea that would remove all these people who in reality no longer participate in Bookmooch.
My daughter is one of these people. She closed her account a couple years ago but her name remains (she told me). I don't recall the name she used here but it could well be her wishlist is still there, it is 4 e-mail addresses behind, she wouldn't know if she got an e-mail from Bookmooch. She is too busy to participate.
I just do not understand this keeping of inactive. It has greatly impeded efficiency of the system and maybe caused other people to leave. A trimmer, more efficient Bookmooch would seem to attract more members. But that is just me contemplating. I have no proof.
- Denise | | (11 months, 14 days ago) | Undoable?
- Denise | | (11 months, 14 days ago) | Like!
- jacquie | | (11 months, 14 days ago) | I think this is a great idea!
- Melanie C. |
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will you send automation
When someone sends a "Will you send to my country" request. It would be automated so if I click YES - the book is mooched, just as a book to my own country is mooched. THAT IS automatically, instead of sending a mail saying that I will send and THEN they must separately mooch. I am having a problem with Schwan in Germany, where I have accepted I will send, and then no mooch happens. I tried mailing him, but the mails just get rejected by his .gmx account - with a HELO message, which makes me think they are being marked as spam. THIS may affect other mooches too. After all why would you ask to mooch unless you intended to mooch?
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markus petz
12 months, 21 days ago
2 comments
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| (11 months ago) | I would love to have this.
I've had a problem with people who actually mooch the book before waiting for the reply. I haven't even given permission to mooch when the book is already on my to send list. I hate that. I do add some heavy and thick books that I wish to get rid inside my country or in europe.
It doesn't mean I'm going to send those books to outside europe. Still some people are just rude and mooch them before waiting an answer.
- Mordkan | | (12 months, 21 days ago) | I totally agree with this. So many times have I been asked for a book, said yes which 'ties' the book to that person for a week while you wait for them to mooch, then nothing! It's so frustrating!
- donna |
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Link to member's inventory after ask first request
After making an "ask first" request, it would be nice if a link to the member's inventory would appear on the confirmation page (as it does when you mooch a book) so you can look through the member's inventory to see if there was another book you could request as well. Members often appreciate knowing you will be making a multi-mooch.
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Cara
11 months ago
no comments
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automatic request feature needed
I also belong to paperbackswap.com (PBS)and they give you 48 hours to respond when a book on your wishlist is made available. Books are offered to members in order of earliest requests. I am so tired of never getting my requests from BookMooch --- by the time I see the availability msg the book is already gone. I'm guessing a msg is sent to everyone wishing for the same book when it comes available and whoever responds the quickest gets it, making for a lot of disappointed members. Is that really the best way to run this sort of exchange? PBS seems to understand that most of us have lives outside of this club. It also allows you to designate a book on your wishlist as an automatic request so the transaction goes through immediately without your need to manually request it. Because of these and many other effective and efficient features, I use PBS frequently whereas I rarely interact with BookMooch except to respond to an availability msg that ALWAYS disappoints. Which is why I haven't been offering up the rest of my books here. Please get with the program and update this site. I can't be the only one frustrated with the way things work here.
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Maryjane
11 months, 20 days ago
21 comments
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| (11 months, 2 days ago) | I am a member of both BM and PBS, and it seems to me that each has its benefits and advantages, different from the other, and that trying to make them identical could remove some of the good features from either one.
- Margaret H. | | (11 months, 15 days ago) | I agree Aude. I have been thinking more about this since this discussion started. I think there are very few books on my wishlist that I would want regardless of points, condition, delay, edition or history and location of sender. I understand the frustration of newbies with the wishlist system as it currently (doesn't) work. Especially because of the problem of hundreds of inactive wishlists. But I don't think an automated system would be the solution.
- Cara | | (11 months, 15 days ago) | Not keen on FIFO & autorequest at all, the range of listable conditions, places the book might be coming from (at different cost of 1 or 3 points to moocher and possibly wildly varied delays), are just too wide and rely on an human making the decision to mooch or not, possibly checking profiles and sometime engaging in at least minimal email exchange in "ask first" situations.
- Aude | | (11 months, 17 days ago) | birdbrain: I'm talking about the unavailable AVAILABLE books sitting there reserved for someone for weeks and weeks, then somehow that didn't work out so it stays on unavailable AVAILABLE for more weeks. I have nothing wrong with it being there a day or two or ok maybe 4 days but longer than that its very annoying. I've had AVAILABLE on some books with reserved for whoever for ridiculously long periods of time. I want those people to get with it, move it, go:)
- Denise | | (11 months, 18 days ago) | ~ For anyone with a varied wishlist and the inclination to ship internationally on an occasional basis, you might want to check out the International Wishlist Tag Game:  Free for All. Instead of waiting for a wishlisted book to appear, there are a group of moochers who will browse your wishlist to see whether they have something they can offer to you.
~ Since wishlist entries are erased when books are mooched, we have no way of knowing when the person who mooched a wishlisted book had added it to his/her wishlist. Rare books might occasionally appear, but one is bound to be disappointed if one’s wishlist is limited to such books, many of which have never been traded on BookMooch.
 Denise ~ Being able to see those unavailable AVAILABLE books, allows us the opportunity of finding an angel-moocher. I would hate not having that option. :(
- birdbrain | | (11 months, 18 days ago) | 1) Maryjane,
No, you certainly are not the only one frustrated with the wishlist system. The only reason it doesn't frustrate me is I recognize there are other resources for getting books, like PBS. Some post on active forums, such as librarything.com they so very much want xyZ book does anyone have it please?
2) noname (I think it was you that brought this up, if not this is addressed to whoever did bring it up) you mention jacqui has several wishlist "available" - She lives in France and all those "available" means they are up for mooch but maybe not to her country, maybe they are " ask first" and they said no.....now here we get to a point that frustrates me. Take off the "AVAILABLE" when it isn't actually available. Right now I only have one AVAILABLE that isn't available to me because I asked first and got a no. Fine, no problem. Except on my wishlist it keeps telling me its AVAILABLE. After a while I put those in my Save For Later because I get sick of looking at them. I can have many "Available" that just aren't.
- Denise | | (11 months, 19 days ago) | Try, as some of us do, putting the same books on both PBS and Mooch wish lists and see how many you get from which one. PBS is way, way ahead in the books we want. However, I am accepting the fact that Mooch is staying with its policy. I just wish I could transfer some of my credits to one of my other sites.
- hotsprgs2 | | (11 months, 19 days ago) | I'm going to add one more comment in favor of keeping the BM wishlist as it is. I, too, am a use of PBS; I have given (and received) many more books here than on PBS. Each has their ways and customs - on PBS I have books I have had on wishlist for 2 years - and it could be another 2 years before one comes up -- on BM I might - just might- get the same book today. Hurray for multiple chances.
Book sites are like friends -- each is different and I wouldn't want them to be all the same.
- peachfuzz | | (11 months, 19 days ago) | I use five internet sites to get the books we want (a mystery reading group of five) and some we collect. I do not like the Mooch wish list deal, either, but we have been told, and told again, John does not want to change it. So, like it or not, lets accept that move on to other issues. My real complaint against Mooch is the number of people who have not been at their site in 159 days, 235 days, etc and the criptic notes saying they may be inactive(???). Please. Inactive? I am the first to admit that I often do not get an acceptance back to a moocher as quickly as I should, expecially when I spend several days on vacation when my mooches pile up. But I check in every day...and usually more than once. Is there not some way to allow so many days on vacation and then remove these people from our viewing. I have even tried emailing some of them and do not get an answer. And, yes, I know about canceling, etc. but why should we have to spend time doing this type thing when there are so many out there not working with us? Aw, I feel better.....not that this will do any good except to make me feel better!!!!!!
- hotsprgs2 | | (11 months, 19 days ago) | @noname - if you look at your wishlist, several books on it are moochable.
- jacquie | | (11 months, 19 days ago) | @Denise, I agree that the inactive wishlists are an issue. Unfortunately, we can't "vacation" wishlists like we can vacation inventories. I understand John's concern about that: a wishlist email could possibly entice an inactive member back to the site. However, it does mean that the random emails of highly wishlisted books are generated to tens of inactive members before possibly reaching any active ones and in the meantime anyone checking the RSS feed or wishlist will snap the book up. The frustration of newer members is understandable.
- Cara | | (11 months, 19 days ago) | Cara,
I, too, recall a sort of informal vote about FIFO wishlisting about 5 or 6 years ago when the forum was on the other umm...place ...lol I can't remember the name of it ....I'm getting old. It was decided by an overwhelming majority to stick with the system as it is. Bookmooch members preferred this system loud and clear.
Things seem to have changed? Perhaps John would not mind addressing this issue again and explaining if he can set it up this way.
One problem with this is so many inactive members remain on wishlists it may take weeks and weeks to get to your name on those 200+ wishlisted books. One advantage, I suppose you could call it, is that you can often get the book if you have RSS to check or check in at the site daily to see whats available. E-mails may be making their way through those inactive members, so you can grab the book as the e-mails sort of go to nowhere.
Lots of technical problems and I won't pretend to understand most of them.
Denise
- Denise | | (11 months, 19 days ago) | @noname I tried emailing you and got a "mail delivery failed" return email: SMTP error from remote mail server after RCPT TO: your address:
host mx0.gmx.net  213.165.64.100: 550-5.7.1 {mx004} Sorry, your helo has been denied.
The problem seems to be with your provider.
- Cara | | (11 months, 19 days ago) | @noname Third, I don't want to report abuse, I want to get help with a technical problem. That is how you get help with a technical problem. The "abuse" people and the tech people are all basically the same group of volunteers who help John run the site. I wasn't being facetious: that is how you contact tech support. I will send you an email through Bookmooch. If you don't get it you can report that to tech support, but as I said, I don't know if they can do anything about the problem.
The way the wishlist system and notification work now, especially with the advent of RSS feeds, make it very unlikely that a highly wishlisted book will still be available by the time the wishlist email gets to you. The system works if you have a large and varied wishlist with books which are a bit more obscure and not wishlisted by many other members. And/or check your RSS feed or wishlist often.
I wasn't suggesting that John is not open to feature suggestions; he is the one who set up this forum thread after all. I was just saying that the idea of a FIFO wishlist has been raised many, many times and in years past when John and other Bookmooch admins were more active participants in the forums (before that got actively flamed and don't participate anymore) they stated that changing the wishlist to function more like Paperbackswap was not a change that they were contemplating. I'm just saying.
- Cara | | (11 months, 19 days ago) | My commentary was eaten after being commented on..
@Cara: "yes, I am sure how the wishlist notifications work. However, there is a problem with some ISP not accepting Bookmooch emails. It really is the best thing to set up your RSS feed and/or check your wishlist often. Also, having a big wishlist helps as well. You can send a message to tech support (through the "abuse" button on your bio page) but I doubt if they can do anything about it since the problem isn't at this end. Some members have set up gmail accounts as a work around. "
First, it's not my email providers fault. I look into my spam folder, and some messages do get through.
Second, having a big wishlist doesn't help at all if I don't get notifications. (I already have a very big wishlist because of listing multiple editions).
Third, I don't want to report abuse, I want to get help with a technical problem.
Fourth, I don't have gmail and I don't want to get a completly seperate email account just for bookmooch.
"John has stated more than once that he has no intention of changing how the wishlist system works."
Which raises the question of why have a forum for changes if there is no wish to change things at all? Countless past suggestions always get the same answer "John doesn't want to change things." Fine, although many things could be added (that are good features on other sites) but are ignored.
It would be more honest to simply close that forum instead of pretending to listen to suggestions while ignoring them.
"At Paperbackswap, I've happily swapped over 60 books over the same course of time. "
Which is nice, but Paperbackswap is limited to the US, while bookmooch is one of the very few international sites. So the alternative is not better system PBS or BM, but BM with its faults or nothing.
Buying used on amazon is looking more attraktive, however.
- nonameblue | | (11 months, 19 days ago) | wow, my post on this thread disappeared, I'll try again....
Alls I was trying to say was what I mentioned once before, that I wouldn't mind seeing a compromise here-- that would give wishlisters a little edge on the general population, similar to the "recently arrived" list. Say, for example, when a book is first listed it goes randomly through the wishlist, every 4 hours (or so) going to a different wishlister-- this giving new people the same chance as an old-time member, but have the book not seen as available to the "general population" until after all the wishlisters have been notified (like the "recently arrived" list). In other words, wishlisters first, and then everyone else. It would at least make it easier for a person who has gone to the trouble (and all that hope!) of putting it on their wishlist, to actually get a better chance of getting it when posted.
Another compromise, a step further, would be having it randomly go thru the wishlisters, again new members having the same chance as long-time members, every 4 hrs. (or so) a new notification email would go out, but only those who have already been notified by email of the book being posted would have the red mooch button on their wishlist for that book telling them the book is available, until all wishlisters are notified, then all will have the red mooch button, and only after that would it go onto the "recently arrived" list, and also be seen as available to those who had never wishlisted it in the first place.
But at the very least I'd like to see a compromise between the 2 systems, where people who have taken the trouble to put a book on their wishlist (maybe have had it on there for years even!) get a chance ahead of people who have never even had it on their wishlist.
Just my 2 cents.
- Melanie C. | | (11 months, 19 days ago) | I also belong to PBS and the 48 hour notice is nice except when 48 hours go by and then another 48 hours goes by and another 48 hours goes by and now you are leaving town for a couple weeks and can't get the book off the system. I've also had people not send the book. I've also had people send books in horrible condition. I've also had people who didn't change their address after moving, the book returned to me and I had to pay return postage. Two postage payments, no points. No site is perfect. I've also received more wishlist books from there by virtue of larger membership.
I didn't read all the e-mails in this thread but serendipity also plays a part at bookmooch - just happen to be on the site when a wishlisted book gets posted so you don't even have to wait for an e-mail. I've rarely nabbed wishlist books from e-mail. Use the RSS.
Denise
- Denise | | (11 months, 19 days ago) | @noname yes, I am sure how the wishlist notifications work. However, there is a problem with some ISP not accepting Bookmooch emails. It really is the best thing to set up your RSS feed and/or check your wishlist often. Also, having a big wishlist helps as well. You can send a message to tech support (through the "abuse" button on your bio page) but I doubt if they can do anything about it since the problem isn't at this end. Some members have set up gmail accounts as a work around.
Another reason why most of us do not want a FIFO wishlist system is that it discourages newbies to join. If there are a couple of hundred people ahead of you on the wishlist for the book you want, what is the incentive to join and post your lovely new books? John has stated more than once that he has no intention of changing how the wishlist system works.
@hotsprgs2 the security feature of typing an author's name is not to keep someone else from using your account, it is to prevent automated use of the site for spamming purposes or someone figuring out how to automatically snag wishlisted books.
- Cara | | (11 months, 20 days ago) | I appreciate the additional information on how the wishlist msgs are sent out. Still appears to be rather inefficient and frustrating, especially since the book can be snagged by anyone as soon as it's posted in the system. Also, I have a life outside of this book club, I'm not always checking emails nor do I have a smartphone to set up to alert me as soon as I receive such an email. I'm looking for very specific books here on this site, hence the whole concept of a wishlist. If I wanted to browse for just any random book, I can go to my local library (25 cent paperbacks, 50 cent hardcopy) and pick them up for much less than postage rates I pay for swapping points. As it is, I've been able to obtain only 2 books since I joined in April of 2007, and one of those was only possible by directly contacting another member who had mooched it previously. The way the system is currently set up, having a wishlist is almost meaningless at best and incredibly frustrating at worst. At Paperbackswap, I've happily swapped over 60 books over the same course of time.
- Maryjane | | (11 months, 20 days ago) | The wishlist messages are sent out randomly, one at a time, every few hours, not all at once. However, anyone who checks their wishlist or RSS feed or who even happens to look in that inventory or look for that particular book at that time will be able to mooch it.
One of the benefits of Bookmooch is that it allows books in less that perfect condition, ARCS and such. But some people are pickier about condition. Also, because we are an international site, there are some books that a member may be willing to mooch for 3 points and other books that would only be worth 1 point. There may be others that they are interested in reading but perhaps only as part of a multi-mooch. This is not Paperbackswap. Most of the users here are happy to keep it different.
- Cara | | (11 months, 20 days ago) | I'm happy with BookMooch the way it is. I think of it as being like shopping in a used bookstore - if I'm the first customer to spot a book that's just come in, I get to buy it. If someone else responds to an alert first, well, they were logged in at the right time and I wasn't.
- Margaret H. |
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Vacation status - differentiate between voluntary & involuntary account hold
"on vacation" currently applies to two different statuses:
(i) an account temporarily suspended by the user because they are leaving BM for a short period: personal absence, unable to send out books, etc.
(ii) an account that is suspended by other people because it is inactive.
There is no current way to differentiate between the two statuses of "on vacation". Could a change please be made so that an account "vacationed" as in (ii) above is shown, for example, as "temporarily suspended or on hold pending reactivation".
Clarification of the "on vacation" status would be helpful to potential moochers, especially since very few people who actually are on vacation update their status text.
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jacquie
11 months, 5 days ago
1 comment
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Rejected requests automatically added to your wishlist
I had several books on my wishlist become available, so I tried to mooch them. My requests were rejected (and that person's account was closed). I checked one of the books that was rejected and it wasnt added back to my wishlist, so I had to add each of them back to it. Can it be changed so that if your request for a book gets rejected, it gets put back on your wishlist?
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Sana_chan5
11 months, 22 days ago
no comments
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RSS Search feeds
Maybe we could get RSS feeds for searches we run frequently? For example, in my case, I am currently in an ongoing search for Sweet Valley books by Francine Pascal. So, if I had a feed that would notify me when someone listed one, it would be very helpful. The only other thing I could do would be to try to add every one to my wishlist, but there are well over 200 different books, not including separate editions. Maybe I'm just lazy but it would be helpful :)
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Lindsey
11 months, 27 days ago
no comments
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advanced search format
I just searched for German books - there are lots. BUT I want to mooch from my own country. It would be good if the search options could be combined so that I can search for German books from Finland as an option. Maybe it is there as a function, but I did not see it. An I did not see it AFTER selecting publisher country, to then select book location.
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markus petz
1 year ago
7 comments
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| (12 months, 26 days ago) | The English is easy. Just go to the browse books by country page. Almost all the books for the first few pages are in English.
http://bookmooch.com/m/country/FI
For the German, don't search by anything as specific as a title, use something more vague like "de". You will get more results.
- Cara | | (12 months, 26 days ago) | Just tried it. I can find books with a particular title. BUT not all German nor all English Books - which is what I need to persuade others to join Bookmooch.
M
- markus petz | | (12 months, 27 days ago) | I did a search of a book where my copy is the only one available and when doing the search with the book title it showed my book stating that mine was the only one available. It may not be the same if you do a less specific search but...
- donna | | (12 months, 27 days ago) | @cara - thanks I will try it. But its not obvious this is what you have to do.
@stephanie - you say it does not include your own inventory. But again this is not obvious as there is a search option that says "- Skip your books:" so I would presume if you do not select this then your books are NOT skipped. That is your inventory should be searched too. OR does it mean something else???
- markus petz | | (12 months, 28 days ago) | You have to write something in the search box (I chose "de") otherwise nothing is returned from the search. Click on the link in my last message, and you will see. Once you have found a few books, look in the inventories of the members who have those books and you can see if they have other German books.  Regine Claudia S. Jeltsch
- Cara | | (12 months, 28 days ago) | Tried it now with just those 2 options selected. THAT IS German language and from FINLAND - and got 0 books as a result. AS I KNOW that I have in my inventory German language books It does not work.
Perhaps that is because it says "German Language" and not publisher? Some wild card characters are needed somewhere? Some blank field must be filled in? I have no idea what specifically, I just know it does not work, just as there is no icon for twitter searching options in the Bookmooch that I have here.
So supposed functionality is either not there OR has never actually been added properly. I will keep using Bookmooch - I like it - but bits could serve me better.
- markus petz | | (12 months, 28 days ago) | From the browse tab, if you select advanced search you can select both country and language.
http://bookmooch.com/m/s/de/-/0/50/0/German/-/FI/-/-/a/-/-/-/-
- Cara |
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