Goodreads, a social network and database for book lovers and language learners

Description: Goodreads is a platform where users can create a personal library of books they have read, are currently reading, or would like to read. It allows users to rate and write reviews for books, receive personalized recommendations based on their reading habits, and track their reading goals. Goodreads also functions as a social network, allowing users to connect with friends, follow authors, and join discussion groups. It is available in website and app forms. Goodreads is owned by Amazon and is free to use, although it requires users to sign up for an account in order to write reviews and rate books.

Evaluation: Goodreads is an engaging and practical tool for both language learners and general readers. Its large database and social features make it a very good resource for discovering new books and connecting with a global community of readers. The ability to filter by genre, time period, and especially by national literature makes it especially useful. For example, teachers can use Goodreads to search for categories such as ‘Ukrainian literature’ or ‘Finnish literature’, making it an excellent resource for finding authentic literary texts from different cultures for language classes. Classroom reading challenges or book lists for their students can be created by the teacher, while students can also use the platform to track their independent reading progress and share their thoughts on books with their peers.

Cost: Free

Respect for privacy Privacy evaluations indicate how a tool handles personal data collection, storage, and sharing, including GDPR compliance and security measures, among others. The ICT-REV team provides them for informational purposes, reflecting our best understanding at the time of review, but assumes no legal responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of these evaluations and encourages users to conduct their own assessments: Low/medium. Goodreads collects user-generated content (reviews, messages), email addresses, and uses cookies and other identifiers for system recognition and to display targeted advertisements, though no personally identifiable information is used for this purpose. In addition, the information collected is subject to the Amazon Privacy Notice, and data gathered by Goodreads may be correlated with any personal information Amazon has to improve its services. Goodreads provides some control over privacy settings and acknowledges users' right to access or delete their data, but the core practice of sharing and correlating data with its parent company, Amazon, for monetization and tailored advertising is the primary reason for this low privacy rating. Goodreads does not state compliance with the GDPR. See more here.

Type Of Interaction: Group/pair work - outsiders, Individual work, Whole class,

Skills: Reading,

Content: Website/other users supply, You supply,

Usability and tech notes ▼