Book club utility

Some ideas to add about book club pages:


High quality mockup courtesy of paint :rofl:

  • Natively levels: some clubs read within specified levels, so it would be useful to allow users to choose the level range for the club; for those that don’t, the lowest and highest levels can be taken from the club’s reading list.
  • Browse by level: like lists and media pages, a filter by level would be useful to find clubs that read within a suitable range.
  • (Browse by) Book type: allow clubs to select the type of books they read, and allow users to browse by type.
  • Image(s): perhaps the book currently being read, or maybe several items like lists, displaying current and previous reads?
  • Join button: you receive notifications regarding the club (nominations open, voting, etc). Perhaps you can open to select more options, such as which notifications you want to receive, how often, and so on. Maybe an option to just bookmark the club without joining, so you can access it easily from your profile?
  • Tags: tags from items on the clubs book list, percentages reflecting averages? Can be good indicators of the types of content read by the club.
  • Members: similar to the number of people reading on books, display the number with a link to the profile images. Perhaps more info, such as join date, books/pages read with club, ratings for club books?
  • Bookshelf: currently reading, upcoming, previously read (possibly also nominated, although these wouldn’t be included in stats, book club’s level range, etc); similar to ‘my books’, users able to filter/sort by as they like.
  • Discussion: like recent forum topics on dashboard; home thread pinned. I guess all threads will have to be tagged with the book club name?
  • Stats: some like user stats (books/pages read, pie chart by book type/level, etc), others book club specific (users over time, users reading/finished per book, members’ cumulative pages read, leaderboard for users that have finished books with the club)
  • Polls: view and vote on any open polls (via discourse? or have a Natively poll function and only those joined the book club can vote?)
  • Member activity: progress updates on club books (pages read, reviews, etc)
  • Club ratings: display the average rating of book club members below books on club page?
  • Lists: featured lists related to book club or that may be of interest
  • Recommendations: this PR, showing books similar to ones read by book club and/or books that appear on the lists of many members.
  • Collaborators: like lists, able to add/edit book club pages, bookshelves (I feel like this is important so that if the club creator goes AWOL, the club can still continue rather than just dying).
  • Calendar: schedule nomination period, voting period, reading period; sync with user’s profile calendar so they can view all club activity in one place.
  • Reminders: ability to schedule reminders to club leader(?) to post weekly threads, set up polls, etc.
  • Invites: ability to invite users to club.
  • Active/Inactive: could be as simple as :green_circle: or :white_circle: displayed next to the club name.
  • “Formal”/Informal: to distinguish between clubs that vote and read books in succession and those that focus on a single book/series
  • Scheduled/unscheduled: to distinguish between clubs that follow a reading schedule and those that don’t
  • Nominations open/Voting: view clubs that are currently accepting nominations or those that are voting on the next read; possibly a status the club creator/collabs can select/update, or perhaps schedule using the calendar to auto-apply to the club page?
  • Suggested clubs: on club browse page, display clubs that you haven’t joined but share books with (compare club bookshelves with user bookshelves, the more books they have in common, the higher they’re recommended). Maybe a “don’t recommend this club again” option for those that don’t interest you.
  • Hide book club: for example, advanced users may not want to see book clubs for beginners, or there may be clubs that focus on a certain genre that you have no interest in.
  • Select book club leader: mentioned in “Collaborators”, but the creator may go AWOL or just “graduate” from their club (for example, setting up a beginner’s book club and after a while feeling that they are beyond that level), so the ability to select a “leader” would be useful so someone else could take on the responsibilities that aren’t automated (calendar reminders sent to new leader rather than original creator).
  • Roles: creator (created club), leader (automatically creator, can be changed to collab), collabs (added by creator/leader), members. Creator/leader/collabs all have same permessions to edit club, leader receives admin/calendar reminders. Adding books to bookshelves limited to creator/leader/collabs, or members can add books too? Perhaps members can’t add to reading/upcoming/read(/nominated), but can add to a general suggestions/recommended bookshelf.

Ideally, book clubs would eventually become completely automated, with the site able to set up polls, add books to shelves, create reading schedules, and so on, eliminating the need for a club leader to do admin.

Will add more if/when I think of them. :slightly_smiling_face:

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