START
YOUR ONLINE BOOK CLUBS WITH THE FOLLOWING STEPS
you
can start your own online book club even though there are several online book clubs. The best thing about starting your own is that you
can design it to reflect your particular reading interests and your own style.
It’s a very satisfying experience, but you have to be prepared to dedicate a
lot of time to your pursuit. You won’t just be a participant, you will be
setting the stage for others to join your reading community and contribute to
the discussion of books. Here are few steps to begin your own online book
club.
1. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel.
Before
you even think about the first book you want to offer for discussion, take some
time to peruse existing online book clubs and check out what kind of software
they are using. You don’t have to be a software engineer in order to create a
website.
2. Think about how you would like the discussions to
flow.
You
might want to use a message board system, an email system or a blog. There are
advantages and disadvantage to each option, and your choice should reflect the
amount of time you have to devote to interaction. Again, look at a variety of
online book club websites and think about which type of discussion forum
appeals to you.
3. Make your website inviting.
Like
it or not, first impressions still count. People see the graphics before they
start to read the content. Experiment with colors and different fonts. Ask your
family and close friends to look at your website, and ask them to navigate
through it before it goes live. Listen to the feedback and work on making your
online book group site an enticing stop for book lovers.
4. Start with what you know.
Make
your first book choice one that you are passionate about. Be prepared to keep
the discussion going. If you can’t think of a list of questions, check out some
reading group guides on the Internet. Here are some standard discussion
questions you might want to use:
What
do you think of the book’s title? How deep into the book did you get before you
understood the relevance of the title? Did the title reflect the main themes of
the book?
What
are the key characteristics of the protagonist? How did the personality and
life experience of the protagonist shape the direction of the novel?
Did
the action in the novel parallel important events in history?
Did
reading the book evoke any strong emotion in you? Did you cry? Did you laugh?
Why? Was there one event in the novel that resonated with you deeply?
5. Offer more to your readers than a book discussion.
Do
some research on the author or the setting in the book. Add links to book
reviews, positive and negative, and ask your members to comment on those
reviews.
6. Keep it fresh.
It
takes time to build up a membership, and your members will grow if you keep the
content fresh and interesting. Keep all discussions active. Ideally, you will
want to check in with your website multiple times during each day. Always
provide new information so that your site doesn’t appear to be stagnant.
7. Market your new online group.
Ask
your family and friends to drop in and join in the discussion. Invite all your
Facebook friends and all of your email contacts. Print your own business cards
with the name of your website; ask the local book stores, coffee shops and
libraries if you may leave your cards there.
8. Make people feel welcome.
You
can do this by following up on every comment so that your visitors don’t feel
like they are being ignored. It’s up to you to keep the conversation flowing.
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