We’re all familiar with the rise of the ebook. It took a little while to take off, longer than it took the music industry to accept the idea of ‘digital files’ being downloaded to a device, but they are now well and truly here.
And it’s not just the way we read books that is changing with technology.
Once upon a time, a book club would meet at a location, with paperbacks in hand, to discuss the literary merits of the book of the month. There might be coffee and cake. Or maybe wine, depending on the time of the meeting.
Now we have video book clubs, where the ‘hosts’ meet via video link-up of some kind – Skype, or Google+ Hangout. I’m sure there are others with which I’m unfamiliar. Members can interact via a discussion board. Now, people who have never met face to face, may never meet face to face, and could never have participated in the same book club, are meeting to talk about books. Because of technology, the internet, websites and forums like Goodreads, and innovations like online video link-ups.
Read more here…
http://hmjacobs.com/guest-blog-the-evolution-of-reading-by-ciara-ballintyne/