WhatsOnMyBookshelf

WhatsOnMyBookshelf
Web address http://www.whatsonmybookshelf.com
Commercial? No
Type of site
 Book swapping community
Available in English
Owner Dan Ostermayer
Created by Olexiy Merenkov
Launched 2006
Current status Active

WhatsOnMyBookshelf is an international online book swapping and book trading community launched in 2006 by Dan Ostermayer .[1] It has over 4000 users who swap an average of 10 books daily .[2] The total number of shippable books registered by the site is 22,535 as of July 9, 2013 .[3]

Site description

WhatsOnMyBookshelf, when compared to other book swapping[4] communities, has a relatively small but dedicated community of swappers.[5] The site started out as a home for fiction books,[6] and fiction, romance and mystery are still its leading literary products[7]

Registering and using the site is free, the only requirements are that users need to provide their addresses and they should be able to ship books to other users through postal services.

Swapping method

The site uses a point system as a form of book swapping currency. This method makes using the site flexible, however less personal than other book swapping communities.[8]

New users receive a 1-point bonus per every five book that they register. After having registered the first 100 books, this incentive is no longer valid and users receive points only for shipping books to other users (which means that the users have to pay the postal fees for sending the books, but receiving a book is free). Though the site offers a free service, users may purchase 5 points per month if they wish to (purchased points cost $2 each).

Book value points are calculated based upon the new book price of the book in question ($20 – 1 credit point).

Users can request a book by adding it to their shopping cart. The user in possession of the book has to ship it within 5 days and mark the request as “sent”. Similarly, the recipient is obligated to mark the request as “received” immediately upon delivery.

The site has an API, and it is possible to embed WhatsOnMyBookshelf in other sites.[9] A Firefox add-on is also available to users so that they can manage their wish-lists.

Comparison with other main book swapping sites

General

Site Availability of Service by Country Model and/or main characteristics Registration Titles available Users
BookCrossing International Leaving and finding books Free N/A Over 650,000[10] (2008)
BookMooch International Point system, pay to ship/free to receive Free Varies, 250,000-500,000[11] 240,000-250,000[12] (2012)
ReadItSwapIt UK[13] Direct swap, pay to ship/free to receive Free 335,660[14] (July 9, 2013) N/A
Swap.com(Netcycler) USA, UK, Finland, Germany[15] Direct swap, commissions and fees applicable where appropriate[16] Free N/A N/A
Whatsonmybookshelf.com International Point system, pay to ship/free to receive Free 22,535[17] (July 9, 2013) Over 4000[18] (2013)

Ranking and Technical Information

According to Alexa page ranks, the site was the 6,296,551th most popular website in the world as of 7 July 2013.[19] The site is officially registered by WhatsOnMyBookshelf (Moscow, PA), with Dan Ostermayer as its technical and administrative contact.[20]

Press Coverage

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ "About Us". whatsonmybookshelf.com. 2013-07-10. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  2. ↑ "FAQ". whatsonmybookshelf.com. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  3. ↑ "Main Page". Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  4. ↑ For a comprehensive list see: http://www.swaptrees.com/swap_books.php and http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/Comparison_of_Book_Swapping_Websites
  5. ↑ Colley, Angela. "The 4 Best Sites for Trading in Your Old Books". Money Talks News. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  6. ↑ Vascerallo, Jessica (September 21, 2006). "Online Book Swapping". WSJ Online. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
  7. ↑ According to the site's own listing. Retrieved July 9, 2013
  8. ↑ Yamamoto, Mike (2006-07-21). "Points and other forms of currency allow more flexibility, but Swaptree's person-to-person system makes it more appealing to some". CNET. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
  9. ↑ Keegan, Victor (2007-06-21). "It's a new online chapter for books". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
  10. ↑ Wigood, Rebecca (2008-03-15). "Release a Cosy Mystery and Watch it Travel". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
  11. ↑ Total number of books listed: http://bookmooch.com/about/stats_show?chart=number_of_asins_listed&chart=asin_total_mooches&chart=membercount&chart=userids_with_asins_listed&chart=userids_have_given&chart=userids_have_received. Retrieved July 9, 2013.}
  12. ↑ Number of members: http://www.swaptrees.com/swap_books.php. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  13. ↑ According to http://www.swaptrees.com/swap_books.php and http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/Comparison_of_Book_Swapping_Websites. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  14. ↑ According to http://www.readitswapit.co.uk/TheLibrary.aspx. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  15. ↑ According to: http://support.swap.com/entries/21727616. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  16. ↑ For fees see: http://www.swap.com/fees/. Retrieved July 9, 2013
  17. ↑ http://www.whatsonmybookshelf.com/.
  18. ↑ "FAQ". whatsonmybookshelf.com. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
  19. ↑ whatsonmybookshelf.com page metrics on Alexa (as of July 8, 2013): http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/whatsonmybookshelf.com
  20. ↑ WHOIS result for whatsonmybookshelf.com, http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/results.jsp?domain=whatsonmybookshelf.com. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
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