Question of the Week
Question of the Week #58: What I Like About You
What do you think about DailyLit? Tell us what works for you--and what you'd suggest for improvements.
Replies (14)
Posted by
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This will have to be a 2 part post. My comment was not displaying and it seems it was because I went over the 1,000 character limit. One improvement would be to have a warning message or an on-submit verification for the form ;)
I like the community that is growing here. It is nice to have literary discussions with like minded people. I also really like how responsive you are to questions or support issues. You have a very good connection with your users.Jan 11, 2010 3:54 pm
by cresswga -
My main suggestion for an improvement is this:
If I am reading book A and then decide to join a Big Read or read a short story at the same time then when the short story finishes the next book in my queue automatically starts and I end up with 2 books on the go at the same time.
My book list now has several suspended books and whilst I can resume them when I finish my current book I know I will also have another book automatically started.
I do not want to delete my To-Read list but it would be nice to have an option at the end of a book to decide whether you want to start another immediately or not. This would also give users a chance to re-order their To-Read list before starting up.
It would also be nice to send messages to users directly. This way I could ask a single person a question about a book without having to start a forum post. However I do not know to what extent you want to enhance the social aspect of the site.
by cresswga -
I second all that cresswga said. I also like the variety and selection of the books. On my current read Katherine Mansfield's Garden Party and other stories, I'd love to be able to see chapter titles (table of contents) as the story titles are quite clever-Marriage A La Mode, etc...
Jan 12, 2010 8:32 am
by dreamdust -
I would like the installments to be longer. Even the longest available installment is too short and I end up repeatedly requesting the next installment 3-4 times a day. That being said, I love DailyLit and have recommended it to friends, family, and coworkers!
Jan 12, 2010 9:50 am
by amyk -
@cresswga - If you go into your book list, at the very top is a check box with the option to start your next selection automatically. I don't like to have my next subscription start without my input so I turned off that feature.
My suggestion to Daily Lit would be to not have that feature enabled by default and make the managing of it a little more obvious, like not hidden in the book list but on the main settings page.Jan 12, 2010 11:47 am
by Lolabean -
Lolabean: Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
I went all through the settings before posting my reply just to make sure I was not missing something but I had not been back into my list since I created it so I did not know that had been added.
OK, well you can all ignore the first part of my post now :)
by cresswga -
I have just recently started with DailyLit, but I really do adore it! I find that I am reading things like Proust & Tolstoy, books that I probably would never have picked up and lugged around with me while reading. I have also recommended DailyLit to all my bibliophilic friends. I have not really navigated around the site yet...I am too busy reading..so consequently, I haven't explored the "community" yet. But I Do think this concept is a GREAT idea and am happy to have discovered your site!
Jan 15, 2010 9:10 am
by Faundance5 -
Improvement-an 800 number for those times when speaking to an actual person would be helpful. Plus P.R. wise, it wouldn't hurt to be able to reach people on time-sensitive issues.
by dreamdust -
DailyLit has become like daily bread to me. I look forward each day to reading a little bit of a story. I am too busy most days open a good book, but when the story appears each day on my computer in short installments, I am surprised at how many great books I've read at the end of a year! And I don't ever feel like I had to take time out of my busy day. Each short installment is a treat I look forward to, and just like my diet, I sometimes cheat and request the next installment or two! I would like to see some current best sellers on the list.
Jan 17, 2010 4:49 pm
by moengey -
Well, I'm relatively new, so I haven't even begun to get bored here. I really appreciate all the wonderful books available. However, I would like it if you were to add some classic children's books, real beloved books. Because, you know, a lot of adults would like to reread them (or try them out), even though most of them wouldn't like to actually own too many. It's fun! I get them from the library, and I'm 36. I've known people way older than me that do the same thing. So I'm sure the interest is out there. Look at how many responded to the forum topics on their favorite children's books and their favorite children's character. Please consider my idea.
Jan 18, 2010 4:57 am
by hellohello -
Like most:: The contests.
Improvements: 1. Threaded comments in the forums.
2. A "Thumbs up, thumbs down" scoring mechanism for contest posts (not visible to the judges).
3. The ability to vary the length of the daily excerpts.Jan 18, 2010 11:36 am
by Golem100 -
Oh yeah, 4. The ability to edit your posts within say a 15 minute window of the post.
by Golem100 -
To hellohello: I like your suggestion about children's classic books. I'd like to read the classic Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, translated from Italian. A beautifully written story needs no illustrations.
by moengey -
Thanks so much for all of your feedback, everyone.
@hellohello nad @moengey We actually do have a number of classic children's books already, like The Wizard of Oz, The Wind in the Willows, and The Secret Garden. We do appreciate your suggestions, though. Are there others you'd like to see?
by MaggieH (admin)