| Facebook has grown to be a middle man of news We post, share, read, and discuss stories in our News Feeds every day. When someone you know posts an item from the New York Times or Buzzfeed the destination link is the publishers original site. Sometimes they aren’t mobile friendly or the content lurks behind a paywall. This all changes today. Facebook has announced that starting this Wednesday big name publishers will have their stories exist solely on the Facebook platform and not link to independent websites. When you click, the story will open more like a friend's profile page rather than an outside post. Facebook says that this process will save you 8-12 seconds to view the content and will include GIFS, audio and video elements. The new program is called “Instant Articles” and there are a number of publishers participating. Inaugural partners include NBC, National Geographic, The Atlantic, The Guardian, BBC News, Spiegel, Bild, Buzzfeed and the New York Times. One of the problems with Facebook Instant Articles is that it will only be available on the iPhone, which might be a fairly limited audience. In addition publishers rely on internet traffic coming to their main or mobile website in order to garner revenue from advertising or affiliates. Since the stories will only existing on Facebook it might be difficult to monetize the platform. I think that users will ultimately be the ones benefiting from this program. You can read all of the news without having to actually leave Facebook and load external sites. The Atlantic and Buzzfeed Now Publish Directly on Facebook is a post from: Good e-Reader |
A Semi-automated Technology Roundup Provided by Linebaugh Public Library IT Staff | techblog.linebaugh.org
Monday, May 18, 2015
The Atlantic and Buzzfeed Now Publish Directly on Facebook
Reviewing Armada by Ernest Cline
| Being a Librarian is awesome. It really, really is. One of the many reasons I love my chosen profession is Advanced Review Copies. I've been not-so patiently awaiting the arrival of the new Ernest Cline book, Armada, for months now and I was ecstatic when it arrived last week. Ready Player One blew my mind when I read it a few years ago so Armada had big shoes to fill. Well, I read it in one sitting this past weekend and I'm elated to report that it did not disappoint. Armada is by far the most entertaining, thrilling, and provocative book I've read in ages.
Filled with Cline's signature pop-culture references, this book is a must-read for anyone who has ever proudly labeled themselves a Nerd, Geek, or Gamer. Cline's fast-paced and engrossing writing will appeal to anyone who loves an adventure. Armada also has immense YA/Adult crossover appeal. This is a perfect summer reading book for high school-aged boys (everyone's favorite reluctant readers!) and I see an endless opportunity for library programming tie-ins. With the movie version of Ready Player One coming soon, there will be a huge amount of author interest and I don't think anyone will disagree with my prediction that this will be an immediate bestseller. Wil Wheaton will be teaming up with Cline again to narrate the Audiobook so be sure to check that out as well! Ernest Cline, I salute you. And I can't thank you enough for this phenomenal book. This title will be available to borrow from your library on July 14th but you can place a hold right now! Rachel Kray is a Collection Development Analyst at OverDrive and is anxiously awaiting for the Earth Defense Alliance to recruit her… |
URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DigitalDistributionBlogOverdrive/~3/ZGQ8YjVK8Uk/
B&N Galaxy Tab 4 Nook Trade In Promotion
| Barnes and Noble has started running a new trade-in promotion to entice people to trade an old ebook reader or tablet for credit toward the purchase of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook tablet. B&N is accepting select Nook, Kindle, iPad, and Nexus devices for trade in. The credit ranges from $25-$200 toward the purchase […] |
URL: http://feeds.the-ebook-reader.com/~r/feedburner/cmWU/~3/y7SrpFCsR88/
Siswoon R9 Darkmoon, a Dual Screen E Ink Smartphone
| The Siswoon R9 Darkmoon is a new dual screen smartphone with an E Ink screen on one side and an LCD screen on the other. Smartphones that incorporate E Ink screens are starting to become more popular. Some like the InkCase are secondary E Ink displays often added to covers to pair with a phone […] |
URL: http://feeds.the-ebook-reader.com/~r/feedburner/cmWU/~3/9d32XyFwhRI/
Is Digital Making Us Dumber?
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While those arguments can be disputed all day long, a recent study by Microsoft has found that tech and gadgets may be causing us to lose our focus. The study polled 2,000 Canadians via an online survey, as well as conducted more in-depth physiological response tests, but seems to have been aimed at reassuring the marketing and advertising sector that investing in advertising wasn’t a higher risk than in the past. That’s a small comfort when you look at the data from the study which showed the average attention span (for focusing on an ad, presumably) was 12 seconds, and is now only 8 seconds. As the study’s report indicated, that’s one second shorter than the attention span of the average goldfish. Instead of determining that the digital landscape is making us lose our focus, the flipside to this information could also be that we’re becoming far more discerning and more capable of determining that an ad is not worth our time and focus. With the bombardment of online advertisements, we may have simply adapted to that reality and become better at returning our focus to the information we were seeking in the first place, rather than on a flashy advertisement. While the report was quick to point out that 140-character tweets and “conversations whittled down to emojis” may be the culprit, it’s interesting to note that the option to download the full report from Microsoft came with two choices: download the entire report as a PDF or simply view this “whittled down” infographic of the data. Further, an article announcing the study and its results contained four separate online advertisements in the sidebar, three sponsored links from outside websites, seven hyperlinked headlines for featured articles published elsewhere on the site, and six click-bait articles from other websites. Even our news contains “distractions,” and rather than spout the inability to focus caused by digital, we might learn an even more valuable lesson: discerning tech users are better able to focus on the content they want than ever before, and have learned to tune out the fluff.
Is Digital Making Us Dumber? is a post from: Good e-Reader |
URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-news/is-digital-making-us-dumber
Snapping Stills with the Red TED Letters
| I’m a bit of a TED talk fiend, so I was delighted to find out that a few Raspberry Pis had a hand in letting TEDsters capture their photo along with the iconic red TED letters at TED2015 in Vancouver. To explain:
We see a lot of people implementing great photo booths with Raspberry Pi, but what I especially like about this one is that it’s activated when a group scans their NFC badges. After the photo is taken, it automatically emails it to the group that badged in. Of course, the whole operation comes together with a lot of different off-the-shelf technologies working in concert. Along with the Raspberry Pis, there’s a tablet interface, Adafruit NFC reader, a camera, and a BlinkStick LED module to indicate the camera’s position and status. Luckily for us, Joshua posted all the details about how he pulled this off, including the code. Thanks, Joshua! The post Snapping Stills with the Red TED Letters appeared first on Raspberry Pi. |
URL: https://www.raspberrypi.org/snapping-stills-with-the-red-ted-letters/
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Barnes and Noble Wants your Kindles and iPads
| Barnes and Noble has just announced a brand new Trade In & Trade Up program. The bookseller wants your old Nooks, iPads or Kindles and will give you credit to put towards the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 7 and 10 inch variants. What is most interesting about the trade in program is that Barnes and Noble will give you a flat rate of $50 for any prior version of the Nook. If you have a 1st generation Nook or Nook Color, you get as much money to put towards a Samsung device as you would a Nook HD+. In order to qualify for the upgrade you need to factory reset your device and remove the SD card. If you have an Apple product, you need to disable “Find my iPhone” and any device passwords. What do you have to do to get the credit? Simply bring your old device to any Barnes and Noble bookstore from May 17, 2015 through June 13, 2015 to get a $25–$200 credit towards your purchase of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK. It remains to be seen what Barnes and Noble plans to do with all of the old Nook, Amazon and Apple products. Will they use them in their educational unit or sell them on eBay? Barnes and Noble Wants your Kindles and iPads is a post from: Good e-Reader |
URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/barnes-and-noble-wants-your-kindles-and-ipads
Google Encouraging Authors and Publishers to Use Adwords
| Google is planning on launching a new mobile feature for smartphones that will allow publishers and authors to instantly sell e-books at the click of a button. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google is allegedly planning to launch a buy button that will accompany search results, but only on sponsored links that others have paid to put in front of Google’s natural search results—in other words, AdWords links. The buy button won’t appear for organic search results, nor will desktop users even get one at first. According to PC World “When you click on the buy button for these ads, you’ll be taken to a Google-backed page where you can (possibly) customize whatever it is you were interested in: sizing or colors. Other retailers will actually sell the products; Google’s page will just handle the processing.” I think having a buy it now button when a user is searching for a particular title holds tremendous value. Say, you are looking for California by Edan Lepucki. You can click on a buy it now from a Google Sponsored link and get options to buy it in print or e-book format, from a number of different retailers. The publisher and author both make money from the sale and the online bookstore also gets a cut. Will digital bookstores, publishers and indie authors take advantage of the Google Buy Button? Its too soon to tell, but Google is making a strong case to advertise books and its appealing to the people who sell the books, the people who publish, or the writers that self-publish. Google Encouraging Authors and Publishers to Use Adwords is a post from: Good e-Reader |
URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-news/google-encouraging-authors-and-publishers-to-use-adwords
Author Anna Todd Discusses Fan-Fiction and Internet Super Stardom
| Wattpad is likely the largest writing community on the internet and users spend 10 billion minutes a month reading. Fan-fiction is likely the biggest draw and one of the most prolific Wattrpad sensations has to be Anna Todd. Anna Todd is best known for her book “After” which features One Direction star Harry Styles and and good-girl protagonist Tessa Young. Wattpad says After has been read 1 billion times. According to a recent interview on Wired “Todd herself is living proof that Internet celebrity is sweeping away old notions of what it means to be famous. The Internet is no longer just a starting point for fledgling talent to reach higher, more mainstream fame and fortune. Stars are tested and can thrive in this universe without Hollywood's help, a phenomenon that has left everyone from first-time selfie takers to big corporate brands eager to figure out how to replicate the influence of this new celebrity generation.” The success of Anna Todd is start to transcend the Wattpad platform. Her book After got a Paramount Movie deal, and likely will be made into a feature film. Wattpad also signed an agreement with Gallery Press to distribute “After” in print and major e-book stores such as Amazon, Kobo and iBooks.
Author Anna Todd Discusses Fan-Fiction and Internet Super Stardom is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Good e-Reader Introduces Paid Android and Blackberry Apps
| The Good e-Reader Android and Blackberry App Store has been going strong for the last four years. There are over 40,000 apps and games currently available and users can download them via the web or via one of our many app clients, such as our Blackberry Playbook Store, Android App Store and even our Kids App Store. Today, we are proud to unveil the next step in our evolutionary growth, paid apps. Paid apps was one of the missing pieces for the Good e-Reader App Store. Many users who have Kindle Fires or devices that do not have access to Google Play are consistently looking for an avenue to pay for quality content. The new system allows users to sign up for free account and pay for apps via credit card or PAYPAL securely via SSL with Paypal and Stripe. Any app a user downloads will be stored under “My Apps” for easy accessibility. Whenever an app requires an upgrade, you are instantly notified. We have spent the last four months developing an entirely new developer portal and app upload system. This allows anyone who is actively making apps and games to submit them to the Good e-Reader App Store. Whenever an app is sold you are instantly notified with our extensive financial reporting tools. Developers can track purchases and other metadata that is critical to monitor success. Additionally, we also have added CSV support, so you can download your entire app sales history and check it out in Excel. Developers can submit free and paid apps into one of our 65 app categories. When an app is sold, a developer earns 70% of the transaction and is payed at the end of the following month. This gives us a chance to make sure all the transactions are valid and to engage in possible refunds or fraud checks. Developers can rest assured that Good e-Reader handles all of the payment and customer service. All you have to do, is make sure your app is updated when new versions are released. We also offer a free service that allows you to convert your existing Android App to a Blackberry compatible format for use on the Blackberry Playbook and any BB10 enabled device. You can use our free APK TO BAR Converter to test it internally and if you want to upload your Blackberry App, please contact us. The App Payment system is only available on the Good e-Reader website and support to our entire line of apps will be implemented in the next few months. It is quite easy to register a free account (takes 15 seconds) and then purchase an app. Once the app is downloaded to your computer, you can simply connect your smartphone or tablet via USB cable and transfer the app to your device. Once its there, simply use any File Manager app to install the app. Alternatively, you can use the internet browser on your phone or tablet and install the paid apps that way. Just make sure your phone has Unknown Sources enabled in your Options/Security, so you can install apps from our market. Paid apps is something we have been obsessing about for the last few years. We always wanted to offer something really compelling for both developers and users and for one reason or another it never panned out. This all changes today. The Developer Portal is open for new and existing app developers to upload your paid content. Simply register a free account by clicking on the top right hand corner, where it says register. Check out some of our Paid Android Apps or Blackberry Apps from a few of our launch partners. Good e-Reader Introduces Paid Android and Blackberry Apps is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Hoopla Adds eBooks & Comics to their Catalog
| Hoopla has been around for a number of years and currently they have a catalog of 15,000 audiobook titles. Hoopla deals with over 100 libraries in the US and charges no licensing fees with setting up the system, which is quite appealing to the average library. How does Hoopla make money? The company has employed the Pay Per Use model, which only charges the library when a specific title is checked out by a patron. In order to scale their business they have just announced they are now offering e-books & digital comics. Hoopla is currently offering 5,509 e-books and 579 comics from an assortment of publishers. They currently don’t deal with any of the Big 5, so you won’t find anything from the New York Times bestseller list. Instead, the bulk of their e-books derive from Dundurn, Tyndale, Chicago Review, Rosetta and Orca. It remains to be seen if this expanded catalog will appeal to libraries not doing business with Hoopla. I think it helps, but won’t be a deciding factor until they can offer e-books from major publishers and give a better value proposition than Overdrive, 3M or B&T. Hoopla Adds eBooks & Comics to their Catalog is a post from: Good e-Reader |
URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/digital-library-news/hoopla-adds-ebooks-comics-to-their-catalog
Overdrive Developing an Apple iWatch App
| Overdrive is the largest tech company involved in the digital library space. Their audiobooks, e-books, music and video are in thousands of libraries all over the world. In order to take advantage of the brand new Apple iWatch, Overdrive is working on a new app. There is no word yet on what types of features that will be available in the Overdrive app for iWatch. I do know that they want the watch to act as a controller for audiobooks. This will allow you to control the audio experience and be able to play, pause or stop the content. They also want to provide users with notifications when an e-book you reserved is available. Right now Overdrive is in the development stage with their iWatch app. What types of features would you like to see in the app? Overdrive Developing an Apple iWatch App is a post from: Good e-Reader |
URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/digital-library-news/overdrive-developing-an-apple-iwatch-app
10 Free Kindle eBooks, Plus Kindle Book Deals
| Here’s a roundup of 10 free highly-rated Kindle ebooks for your weekend. All these books have really good reviews and are very popular. Owning a Kindle is not required to read them; you can use a Kindle reading app for iPad, iPhone, and Android devices, or use a computer or web browser. The free ebooks […] |
URL: http://feeds.the-ebook-reader.com/~r/feedburner/cmWU/~3/x6uqmijj6Ys/
Friday, May 15, 2015
Uber France Now Offers Thousands of Free Digital Newspapers
| Uber France has partnered up with PressReader to offer thousands of free digital newspapers and magazines. This new deal is set to kick off during the Cannes Film Festival from May 13 to 24. Riders can access more than 3,700 newspapers and magazines from PressReader on any smartphone, tablet or laptop. They can choose from popular titles like The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Vogue France, The Washington Post, GQ, and Le Film Français, the popular industry magazine updated daily during the film festival. Finally, they can download their favorite titles for later reading. The partnership between PressReader and Uber will launch at the high-profile Cannes Film Festival to a truly international audience of filmmakers, stars, and industry professionals. "Our new partnership with Uber is yet another example of the many exciting initiatives we're launching here at PressReader," said Igor Smirnoff, chief commercial officer at PressReader. "PressReader is already a part of your travel experience when you fly, stay at a hotel, or go on a cruise. With Uber, we're proud to bring an exciting new amenity to the ground transportation industry." Access instructions are available in Uber cars located in Cannes for the duration of the festival. Uber France Now Offers Thousands of Free Digital Newspapers is a post from: Good e-Reader |
New Lenovo Tab 2 A10, A8 and A7 Tablets – Good Value Picks
| Lenovo added some new Android tablets to their “A” series this past month with a “Tab 2″ designation. There are two 7-inch models and a 10-inch model. An 8-inch model is coming soon as well. The tablets seem to be flying under the radar lately as they haven’t been getting much press, but they look […] |
URL: http://feeds.the-ebook-reader.com/~r/feedburner/cmWU/~3/BMQhqdCN20c/
BookGorilla Sends Daily Alerts for Free and Discounted Kindle Books
| If you’re looking for a new way to find best-selling Kindle ebooks for free or on sale, BookGorilla is a service that sends out a daily email alert highlighting popular deals and free titles. You can choose to receive alerts from over 200 specific Kindle ebook categories, including genres and sub-genres, or just bestsellers. You […] |
URL: http://feeds.the-ebook-reader.com/~r/feedburner/cmWU/~3/08zRNtDrS_M/
Digital Publishing Brings Censorship Woes to Iran
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As the Tehran Book Fair continues on throughout this week, ebooks, digital publishing, and self-publishing are creating a host of problems for the country’s censors, as an article in the Guardian has outlined. While publishers cannot even display titles from their event booths that haven’t been vetted by the censors, a separate world of book publishing is happening outside of the organized event, one that has readers flocking to digital reading. According to Saeed Kamali Dehghan, “Iran is among the top 10 most censored countries, next to Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and China. However, the digital age is creating a new challenge to Iran's censorship apparatus. An increasing number of writers and translators are turning to the internet to publish their work, instead of going through the tormenting line-by-line scrutiny required for print publication. A rise in paper prices has concomitantly driven more readers to buy ebooks. State TV has started labelling digital books as a new threat that should be taken seriously.” This wouldn’t be the first time that online media has been credited with enacting change against centuries’ old ideas and regimes. The rise of social media has long been credited with the Arab Spring movement, and sites like Twitter have actually come under legal attack within countries like Turkey for their ability to connect individuals in ways that the government disapproved of. It’s surprising how quickly some of the tools that evolved slowly over the course of several years in the US and other markets have taken off seemingly overnight to help self-published authors in the Middle East. Digital-first and ebook-only publishers are already providing services to authors whose books would never make it past the censors, and crowdfunding of books has already produced several titles. Digital publishing has long been hailed as a force for good in terms of protecting rare and out of print titles, providing low-cost learning opportunities for markets that can’t afford printed texts, and even providing a publishing outlet for voices that have otherwise never reached readers. Now, the effects of online publication are making a difference in places with literally no other option. Digital Publishing Brings Censorship Woes to Iran is a post from: Good e-Reader |
URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-news/digital-publishing-brings-censorship-woes-to-iran
Light Novel “A Corpse is Buried Under Sakurako’s Feet” Anime Green-Lit for Fall 2015
| The official website for the new television adaption of the mystery light novel series A Corpse is Buried Under Sakurako’s Feet (Sakurako-san no Ashimoto no wa Shitai ga Umatteiru) revealed on Friday that the new series will premier this fall. Along with the announcement of the release date, the official website has also announced its main production staff, it’s first key visual of the series’ two protagonist, Sakurako Kujo and Shotaro Tatewaki. Makoto Kato, the episode director for Aldnoah.Zero and Btooooom!, is directing the series at studio Troyca, Makoto Bessho (Attack on Titan) will be handling the series composition and Michio Sato (Viper’s Creed, Tenchi Muyo GXP) will be designing the characters as well as act as chief animation director. The light novel series is written by Shiori ÅŒta and illustrated by Tetsuo, and was first debuted in 2013and Kadokawa published the seventh novel in February. The series currently has more than a whopping 600,000 copies in print! Along with the new anime series, the mystery series as also inspired an online radio drama that starred Yuuki Kaji as Shotaro and Ami Koshimizu as Sakurako. The series follows Shotaro Tatewaki and girlfriend Sakurako Kujyo. Shotaro is a normal high school student with a serious demeanor but loves nothing more than showing off his lovely girlfriend. Sakurako is an extraordinarily beautiful woman in her mid 20’s who has a passion and love for ‘beautiful bones’. The two live in the city of Asahikawa in Hokkaido and seem to often get involved in various incidents regarding bones. I’m always looking for a good mystery themed anime so I’m really looking forward to seeing more development on this project. If the plot summary above sounded good to you, you can go ahead and check out the official website for more updates! Light Novel “A Corpse is Buried Under Sakurako’s Feet” Anime Green-Lit for Fall 2015 is a post from: Good e-Reader |
Keep your students reading all summer long!
| It's finally that time of year! Sweet Summer Time. While the summer is best served hot and under the sun, we at OverDrive like ours with a little reading on the side. Here are a few tips to keep your students reading all summer long:
Boredom is not an option when there is reading to be done!
Christina Samek is a Launch Specialist II on the School Partner Services team with OverDrive. |
URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OverdrivesDigitalLibraryBlog/~3/Nb9qN89Rdcc/
Recommended Lists for May
| May is always a very exciting month here at the OverDrive headquarters in Cleveland. Spring is officially here and it seems like there is always an occasion to commemorate or celebrate. The events and observances of May also make for great library programming! For your convenience, we have created some collections. Check out these fun and exciting lists below and hopefully you'll find some titles that you'd like to add to your OverDrive site. When you click the link below, it will show up as a Marketplace search result and you'll be able to easily add them to a cart. May The 4th Be With You – Star Wars Reads As always, your Collection Development Specialist is available to help create any recommended lists. Email collectionteam@overdrive.com for more information today! Some titles are metered access and may have limited regional or platform availability. Check OverDrive Marketplace to find what is available for you. Rachel Kray is a Collection Development Analyst at OverDrive |
URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DigitalDistributionBlogOverdrive/~3/52t7Iol4dYE/