I recently joined Litsy (a relatively new app that’s like a cross between Instagram and Goodreads) and originally thought, since Litsy is image-centric, that my preference for e-reading would make me more of a lurker than a poster (who wants to see a million pictures of my kindle?!). But, I’ve enjoyed it far more than I ever thought I would!
Now that I know I like it, I’ve been pondering how it might fit into my overall reviewing strategy and would love to hear what others are doing. I want to avoid just duplicating what I’m doing on the blog and other social media. But, what niches will Litsy help me (and you) fill? Here’s what I’ve been doing and thinking…
- Post all blog posts
- Share occasional interesting book/reading articles
- Post all blog posts
- Share quick thoughts on reading and specific books
- Share other bloggers’ work
- Communicate with authors and other bloggers
Goodreads
- Share what I’m reading in real time
- Post full book reviews and ratings
- Post all blog posts
- Share other bloggers’ work
I barely have a presence here…I post extremely occasional pictures of reading spots and books, but I’m definitely more of a lurker.
Where does Litsy fit?
- Share what I’m reading in real time
- Share quotes
- Review audiobooks (I don’t currently review them on the blog)
- Rate all books
- Post quick reviews of select books with accompanying image
Lingering Litsy Questions:
- Does it make sense to consider Litsy my place to share quick thoughts on books I don’t review on the blog?
- Or should I also post quick reviews of select books (maybe particular favorites) that I do review on the blog?
- Should Litsy be my place to share quick thoughts on why I DNF certain books?
How does Litsy fit into your review strategy? Do you review every book you read and/or review on your blog on Litsy? If not, how do you choose which books to review there?
I love Litsy and would almost quit my blog and use it exclusively.
I’m not that sold yet, but am certainly enjoying it way more than I thought it would. I love the quick thoughts model, but my issue with using it exclusively is that (at least at this point) it’s mostly serious readers on there…I feel like I’d lose a ton of less serious readers that do get book recs from my blog.
I’ve been playing with Litsy, but nothing serious. I like the way it’s set up, but like Instagram, I just don’t have time for clever pictures of my Kindle! I feel like I need to do more to get the whole social media thing down to a science! You pose some good questions.
I’ve done a couple clever Kindle pictures (some not yet posted), but it definitely takes more time is a total hassle if an idea doesn’t just come to me. My Commonwealth post came to me immediately…my one for The Mothers (not yet posted) was harder. Maybe the pictures will just be for select books.
My blogging is erratic. I don’t have a blog Facebook page (though I do share ebook deals from my personal account). I mostly lurk on Twitter (I love getting book news and following authors, but seldom jump in). I set up a book-focused Instagram, but I’ve been disappointed. I may be following the wrong bookstagrammers, but I feel like I see a lot of beautiful photos of books (which, yes, is great), but don’t get much information about the books themselves. I use Goodreads daily to keep track of my reading, but I always feel like it’s not exactly what I want. Anyway, all of this is just to say that maybe I should check out Litsy. I’m definitely interested in more spots to talk about books.
I’m totally with you on Instagram. Beautiful book pictures are nice and all, but it’s really not that helpful in actually recommending books.
But, based on what you said, I do think you’d like Litsy. It’s the pictures with more book info…you can tag the book you’re talking about, rate it, share what you’re currently reading (like Goodreads), and post little mini reviews and quotes. Plus, the liking and commenting section is just like Instagram.
I think I’ve given up on Litsy. I almost never post pictures of me reading anyway, and I still blog heavily and post my reviews on various sites. I just don’t have the time or the energy to add one more layer on top of everything else.
It’s definitely another layer…and I too still do everything on my blog. But, it’s kind of replacing Instagram for me.
I’ve been posting my quick overall thoughts as a review on Litsy, and am finding that it really helps to serve as a starting point for a full review on the blog. Gets my mind in gear! I enjoy using it for quotes, too. I’m learning quickly who not to follow though…all those random photos with random books tagged drive me nuts! Just use Instagram, people!
Oooh – I like that approach! Almost like the thesis and a preview of your eventual review.
I hadn’t noticed the random photos with random books…will start looking for those. That is annoying!
Since getting Litsy, I think I’ve done a Litsy review for just about every single book I’ve read. Some of those books I’ve done reviews on the blog for and some I haven’t. But I really like it for jotting down a few thoughts when I finish a book and then I use that to expand on if I write a bigger review on the blog. I think the blurb function is handy for blog reviews too, as you could go back over your Litsy posts to refresh your memory on how you reacted at a certain point.
I’ll be going back to studying at the end of next month and may not have as much time to write long blog posts, so I think Litsy will come in especially handy as I’ll still be able to share my thoughts on a book, but in a much quicker fashion.
Overall I love it. I feel like it’s another avenue for me to force the books that I love onto people haha. But I love that all of the people on there are readers – not all of my followers on Twitter and Instagram are bookish people, so I’ve often felt a bit restricted on what I can post (this is especially true of Instagram, but I’m get over that lately). But with Litsy I can be properly enthusiastic about books; I feel much less self-conscious there.
I love the idea of using Litsy as a jumping off point for a more formal review on the blog. I’ve been posting my Litsy reviews after my blog reviews, but I think I’ll start to switch this up.
And def see how it would help you in time crunches!
I’ve never heard of Litsy. Clearly, I’m missing out….
I haven’t tried Litsy yet, but Janani at the Shrinkette has been seriously badgering me to give it a try. It sounds fun but I’m just leery of adding ANOTHER social media site to the rotation, given how much time you have to devote to them to make it worthwhile. It does sound terrific, though, and I’d love to have a clear place to say brief thoughts about books I don’t end up finishing. Goodreads isn’t really the best for that!
I too love litsy so much I would give up my blog for it. But I’m not quite ready to give up blogging. I use Litsy for everything. Just play around with it and you’ll find what’s right for you.
I remember you saying you were going to do most of your book reviewing on Litsy. But, I do love your Stacked Up Book Thoughts posts!
I’m pretty sure I don’t have a review strategy, so I think I need to up my game :), but I’ve just been using it similar to Monika. Quick updates whenever I have a second, sharing quotes, noting when I start a book, etc. It also seems to be good for books I don’t have time to review, which is almost everything lately.
I’m definitely going to use it for books I’m not going to review on the blog! And I’m pretty sure I didn’t have a review strategy (at least one that I actually thought through) until I started writing this post!
Hi Sarah! I know you posted this ages ago, but I’m a new reader and I just read it. I’ve integrated Litsy as a way to make observations and share quotes from books as I’m reading and to record my reading. It’s usually the place I go first when I finish a book to record my “first thoughts.” Often, I post similar things on Instagram, but the community on Litsy has this great tight-knit feel that I don’t really get from Goodreads. Just my experience so far.
I completely agree about the tight knit community feel of Litsy vs. Goodreads…or Instagram for that matter. Since writing this post, I’ve also started recording first thoughts.