Bloggers Beware!!

Well my fellow bloggers--here's a little warning that is of particular interest if you use Blogger as your platform. This morning, when I went to access my blog, I was denied access (the page wouldn't even load) and given a big Google warning that it appeared I might have been infected with malicious spyware. All very nicely worded so that they could never claim I WAS infected, but gee whiz....we can't let you in until you either a) wait awhile or b) run some anti spyware/adware software. Convenient links were provided to two such programs --both of which APPEARED to be free. Let me add here that I have a relatively new computer, and haven't installed a lot of extra spy/malware catching programs trying to keep things simple. Now I have good antispy software and malware protection as part of my McAffee protection suite, and when I ran those scans..all appeared well. But I still couldn't get my blog to load. Much gnashing of teeth at this point. SO...........instead of just downloading my two favorite programs that I knew worked and could be trusted...................like a big dummy................I downloaded one of Google's linked programs for free and ran that program which told me I had 2 SEVERE files that were going to cause me problems. Now comes the clincher......according to this Google linked program "AdwareProfessional" I now had to 'register' the program to be able to clean up these two files. Of course when I clicked on register (Ok, ok, I know....stupid....blame it on not enough coffee and too much sunshine) I discovered --surprise, surprise-- that it would only cost me $37.95 or some close dumb amount to 'register.' I then Googled this program(Adware) and found a good amount of discussion at one of my trusted sites CNET (should have done this in the first place). I also googled "Spydriver", one of the files this bogus Adware program labeled as a severe problem on my computer, and found that it is planted into your computer (perhaps by Adware itself?) to get you to buy software to clean it up. Big fat frowny face here..... Fortunately, another of my favorites (again....why did I trust Google, instead of the old standbys?) Spybot S&D identified and safely quarantined this little darling for me. Uninstalling it looks like it may be a real hassle, but at least it's off in jail for now. Please don't confuse this Adware program with Ad-aware - a free program I have used successfully for years. That one is a good one, and I have reinstalled it on my computer. The moral of the story, please beware of links in anything --use the old "trust but verify" before you download anything. Here's another link to discussion about Adware. SHAME on Google for posting these links. I'll be much less ready to trust anything from Google from now on.

Truth in Book Advertising

The chat this week on several book blogs has been about where we get most of our books, and whether getting a book as a freebie influences what we say about a book in our review. Marie at Boston Bibliophile has a great post on the subject. I urge you to read it. The comments that follow her post are equally thought provoking. So,to follow the trail, and to assure my readers that I'm not giving positive reviews just because I got the book for free, here's a breakdown of where/how I acquired the books I've reviewed since I started this blog: Since April, I've reviewed 67 books. Of those 42% were from my personal library --I either owned them, bought them, or inherited them. They physically reside with me. 38% came from public libraries. The remaining 19% were freebies--i.e., they were Advanced Review copies, galley proofs, or Early Review copies from LT's program. Anyone who has looked at my reviews here or on LT, knows that I am not afraid to say 'this book is not for me!' and in a couple of cases I've really panned a book I thought wasn't worth the paper it was printed on. So authors and publishers who send me their books to review, (and who have taken the time to investigate my reviews) will know that I don't sugar coat things. I even said I was disappointed in one that won the Pulitzer! I have decided in the future to alter my reviewing policies a bit.

• First of all, I'm going to be more selective about books that I take to review...if it looks like something I know I won't enjoy, or have serious doubts about, or is a genre I don't normally read, then it's not be fair to the author to have me as a reviewer.

• I'll only be accepting what I can expect to review within a month of receiving it. I'd love to say within a week, but often the books don't show up when you think they will, and then suddenly, 10 arrive in one week. I feel I have an obligation to do a fair review when I accept a book, and fairness includes timeliness. If my schedule is clogging up, I'm always up-front with the author or publisher about when I expect to be able to get a review done.

• Although I usually mention it, I'm going to be vigilant about making sure my review includes information about the source of the book.

• I'm also going to include a recommendation about whether I'd spend my own money on this book if I'm reviewing a freebie.

• I'm only doing giveaways once a month. If too many others are already sponsoring the same contest, I'm going to pass. They are a lot of work for the blogger (time spent running contests is time NOT spent reading) and the publisher gets a whole lot of free publicity from blog contests, so my being more selective isn't going to hurt anybody.

Book blogging is fun. Reviewing books is fun. Receiving 'free' books is wonderful for all of us. But they're not 'free'--the average 300-500 page book takes about 10-12 hours to read, and about another hour to draft, edit and post a review. While I get to read books I might not have had the funds to buy, or never have heard of, the author and publisher get some feedback and publicity. Honest book bloggers just don't guarantee the publicity will always be totally positive.

Monday Musings- Online Book Databases

Although I don't normally participate in many of these weekly memes, Cathy at Kittling: Books raises an interesting question for which I have a definite answer:

Do you have an account with an online book database such as LibraryThing, Shelfari or GoodReads? If so, do you have a preference? Do you use it for - your own record keeping? finding new books to read? social networking?

I began my online book adventures one year ago this Thursday by joining LibraryThing(LT). Actually, I had established an account for my deceased father's books so all of his daughters, sons-in-laws, and grandchildren could go online and see what was available and let my mom know who might be interested in receiving what from dad's estate. In doing so, I saw how easy it was to use. Although I have another computer resident database program (Readerware) that I've used for years, and still do keep current, LT offered me a better search engine, and the ability to share my books and info with other online--about the only functionality books that Readerware(RW) didn't have. So.............I rushed back home to Maine, opened my own lifetime account, and began cataloging our own extensive collection. Later, mainly because I'm a very curious person, I began nosing around the groups/talk, and other social aspects. Within weeks, I was hooked. I've peeked at Goodreads and Shelfari, but don't see anything there that LT does not offer. I'm absolutely thrilled with LT and its capabilities, and the people who catalog and post there. Through my online LT friends, I've found literally hundreds of leads to books I would never have read. In fact, I've been preparing a one year anniversary recap for my LT profile, and I'm willing to say that over 50% of the books I've read this past year (there have been almost 200 of them) are LT recommendations. I especially love the challenges and groups and the ability to have on-line discussion groups without having to go to a third site. I tried Virtual Bookshelf on Facebook, but that was awful. I don't particularly like all the fusiness of Facebook anyway, and find it can get personally intrusive and obnoxious. Finally, and this is a biggie for me since I've done database maintenance work for a living, the staff at LT are phenomenal. The database works as advertised, they actually give you warnings of the extremely short down times they have, the staff openly solicits suggestions ---and not only LISTENS TO THEIR CUSTOMERS----they ACTUALLY GIVE US FEEDBACK, and keep us posted on everything going on. They are an incredibly dedicated, hard-working, intelligent and competent bunch. ---no I've never met any of them! Their witty sense of humor shines through and cements an incredible dedication to customer service. I started blogging just recently, more as a writing exercise and to develop Web 2.0 skills that I felt I needed in my work at our town library. When I found out that people would send me free books just as long as I read and reviewed them, I was really hooked!! The world of books and blogging is a fun, interesting, and meaningful way to contribute to the world of knowledge, especially for us chronologically advantaged semi-retirees. Thanks Cathy for asking the question. I look forward to seeing the replies you get.

Passing the Magic Wand

Last month Gwendolyn at Sea of Books awarded us the True Fairy Tale Award. I'm embarrassed that it has taken so long to gather my thoughts and pass on the magic. So here on a sunny Maine summer afternoon are my nominees for this accolade: Cathy at Kittling: Books - the magic of her posts always gives me a positive feeling. Jasmyn at Jasmyn's Stuff- Jasmyn has just started blogging and her blog promises to be a beautiful one. So a sprinking of magic goes to wish her luck and lots of friends. A Novel Challenge is the place to go for a sprinkling of encouragement to start a new book challenge. Whenever you're feeling a bit blase about reading check out Wendy's latest- she's always coming up with new ones.

Literary blogger awards

The Literary Blogger Award acknowledges bloggers who energize & inspire reading by going the extra mile. These amazing bloggers make reading fun & enhance the delight of reading!! I've taken way too long to pass this on, but here are my nominees. And the winners too! Gwen Dawson at Literary License short reivew with real opinions and a very diverse and eclectic list of books. I never miss what she has to say and often put her suggestions on my TBR pile. She's also 'spot on.' Miscellaneous Musings -Caty's wonderful blog full of reviews, links, memes, challenges, and an obvious love of books. Shhhhh I'm Reading Melissa's selection of books always has me adding more to my TBR pile. She writes intelligent and thoughtful reviews of a wide variety of genres.

bookfriends - pass it on...

As I promised earlier, I'm reciprocating the honor bestowed by Caty at Miscellaneous Mumblings when she handed me the Bookworm's Award for Bookfriends. Blogging has been a wonderful way to make new friends so here are my friends who can continue the link.

• Mary K. at Just One More Page. Her variety of reading, contests, and musings is truly awesome.
• Peter at KyusiReader. I love the international flavor of Peter's postings, and can always count on him to befriend me with a comment or two just when I think no one is tuning in!
• Kristen at BookNaround - in spite of her recent boating difficulties, she manages to provide us with hints about good reading, fun giveaways, and lots of interesting musing.
• Laura at Musings has consistently provided wide panapoly of reviews and ....well....musings! I love her blog.
• Jules is my kinda woman...a true book friend who takes care to give used books a home. Her blog Jules' Book Reviews is a treasure trove

Lemonade Award - x 2!!

Is this not too cool?? I've been nominated for 2 Lemonade Awards by Harvee at Book Bird Dog, and also by Kathy at One eyed stuffed bunny.... Thanks to both of you. It's great to feel recognized. I think it came just in time because -----bells, whistles, loud applause---we are supposed to have bright sunshine and temperatures in the 80's tomorrow here in Maine. So the lemonade has arrived at the perfect time. The part about this award that I like best is that I can't keep it, it has to be shared by passing it on to other fellow bloggers who exhibit attitude or gratitude. I get to pick 10, but there are so many good ones, and I really had a hard time picking. These are the ones I really find inspiring. If you are nominated.... here are the rules for passing on the award to your favorite blogs: 1. Put the Lemonade Award logo on your blog or post. 2. Nominate up to 10 blogs that show great attitude or gratitude. 3. Link to your nominees within your post. Let them know they have received this award by commenting on their blog. 4. Link to the person who gave you your award. So my nominees are: Ruth at Bookish Ruth. "FL" at The Forgetful Librarian forgets. Stefanie at So Many Books. Melissa at Shhh I'm Reading.... and... Laura at Musings Jessica at The Curious Reader Caty at Miscellaneous Mumblings . Jules at Jules' Book Reviews Gwendolyn at A Sea of Books Michele at Michele--only one L So check them all out...they're each terrific for a different reason.