Trending books for May 21. https://www.litsy.com/web/trendingbooks #trendingbooks

We gotta get Litsy out there, and need your help! How about… a naked bribe!

Share a post or your Litsy profile to FB, IG, Twitter, Pinterest or Tumblr before May 28, and post the URL here.

On May 28, we‘ll choose five random Littens to get mugs!

When using Litsy on the web, you can now use the “j“ and “k“ keys to skip forward or backward a whole post. If scrolling drives you a little mad, this will help!

I made a video of it on Facebook https://tinyurl.com/yxsrpken

On Wednesday we added the ability to tag your posts to 48,000 bookstores and libraries from the English-speaking world.

Today we've added another 45,000 from the rest of the world. The map above puts them all on a map, including 8,000 in France alone!

Can't find your favorite bookstore? Go to LibraryThing Local and add it yourself https://www.librarything.com/local . (Free LibraryThing account needed.)

Book people love books, but they also love bookstores and libraries. So we added them to Litsy!

When you visit your favorite bookish places you can share your love, and take a selfie or a photo of your haul and tag the place, instead of a book.

The 48,000 venues were added by LibraryThing members. For now, you search for them just like books; we'll be separating them when we can. Litsy on the web adds venue photos and a “pin“ icon to every post.

By popular request, you can now mute hashtags you don't want to see. Tired of challenge posts? Tired of #CatsofLitsy? Mute them!

To mute tags, you have to do it on the Litsy website. What you do there will affect the app too. (We plan to include this in the app in the future, but app changes take longer to do.)

To mute tags, sign in and go to https://www.litsy.com/web/hashtags . The page is also found on Settings/Import, at the bottom.

The new Litsy on the web ( https://www.litsy.com ) has a “night“ mode, so you can browse Litsy at night and rest your eyes.

So far, the app doesn't have it, but we're looking at adding it in a future release.

Night mode on the web is available on your Settings/Import page. (Go to your profile and then click the little “cog“ icon.)

We recently improved Litsy sharing, on both app and web. It looks better, and people get more than a single static page—they get Litsy.

So go ahead and share Litsy with your friends and followers.

Web sharing goes to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Tumblr. And there's a special image-download for posting to Instagram. Mobile sharing does whatever your smartphone does, which is probably a lot.

Now that we have Litsy on the web, it can be shared—and Litsy can grow! Feel free to spread this graphic around.

1. Share your Litsy posts on other social media. Sharing works great now.
2. Share your Litsy profile
3. Link to your Litsy profile in your bio on Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter.
4. Rate the Litsy app on iTunes or Google Play.
5. Tell a friend, or find your Facebook friends on Litsy now ( https://www.litsy.com/web/friends ).

@DannyHattan came up with this fantastic explainer for importing your Goodreads stacks into Litsy.

1. On your browser open Goodreads, in the “My Books” page and on the bottom left in tools there‘s a “Import/Export” tab,click it.
2. At the top hit “Export Library”, it will download into your computers Download folder.
3. Head to https://www.litsy.com/ , in your profile under “Setting/Import”, drag your file into the import section.
4. Job done.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Litsy is now also available on the web!

Try it out at https://www.litsy.com

Litsy on the web has all the features of Litsy on iOS and Android, including posting and a great image editor. We've added a few features to entice you to check it out, such as a Goodreads import. If you use a larger screen, you will see new sections for trending books and hashtags.

Follow @Litsy for more details. And let us know what you think!

After a big push, we've reduced the number of Litsy books without covers by 74%. When our usual cover supplier, Ingram, doesn't have a cover, we are now drawing on covers from @LibraryThing and Syndetics Unbound from ProQuest. As of now, only 0.9% of books have no cover at all!

Trivia: These are the first 450 most popular Emojis on Litsy posts. (The first, ⭐, was used 90,805 times. The last, 🙌🏾, was used 124 times.)

This week is #NationalLibraryWeek in the US, and our sister site, #LibraryThing, is celebrating with a library-themed treasure hunt! Solve the clues to find library cards scattered around the site.

https://www.librarything.com/hunt_2019-04.php

If you're not already on LibraryThing, this is a fun way to get to know the site! Plus there are prizes to be had.

Need a hint? See the Talk discussion: https://www.librarything.com/topic/305699

We have added two settings under Preferences > Push Notification Settings. They tell us whether you are an EU citizen/resident, and if you want to receive the newsletter. (The newsletters have an opt-out link, which is separate from this system.) EU citizens must check the latter if they want the newsletter. [Note: Yes, this is for legal reasons. We'd rather not care; EU law requires us to care.]

Before, when you search or click a hashtag, Litsy showed posts tagged with that hashtag

Now, for some hashtags, like #cozies, #paranormal or #AmericanHistory you also get posts on books that ARE that tag—paranormal books, horror books, American history books.

• This is a GREAT way to find people who read the genres you love!
• Tags are drawn from LibraryThing's 140m user-added tags.
• No posts are removed; most Litsy hashtags are unaffected.

Litsy has long been plagued by multiple editions with trivial differences, like two versions of "Daisy Jones and The Six." Posts about them were kept apart.

Now, drawing on LibraryThing's extensive work-edition-media concept, we are combining all posts about the "work" together. We aren't changing search, because sometimes people care about choosing THEIR cover or edition.

I hate to do this, but Litsy has to shut down #bookishbrewswap.

In a better world, online beer swapping would be welcomed. I'd love to participate.

Unfortunately, it's legally risky. For that reason sites like Reddit have banned beer swapping (see https://www.reddit.com/r/beer/comments/8643kq/rbeertrade_has_been_banned/). If a huge, well-funded site like Reddit can't take a risk, we definitely can't.

(More in comments.)

Litsy's latest iOS version is fully optimized for the iPhone X! Scrolling through your feed and viewing book descriptions both work a lot better now (among other bug fixes). If you haven't already, now is a good time to update!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/litsy/id1037017919?mt=8

Android updates are in the works.

For the second year running, our sister site, #LibraryThing is hosting a Valentine's Day treasure hunt! We're written up rhyming clues to help you find the hearts scattered around the site.

https://www.librarything.com/valentinestreasurehunt2019.php

If you're not already on LibraryThing, this is a fun way to get to know the site! Plus there are prizes to be had.

We‘ve updated/fixed how blocking works on Litsy.

Blocked users can no longer see:
* their blocker‘s posts on book profiles or hashtags
* their blocker‘s comments or likes on other users‘ posts
* their blocker in followers/following lists

If a blocked user navigates from an interaction from before the block, the blocker‘s feed and stacks will not populate.

More info: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OnwardLitsy/permalink/373100156806730/

If you have any questions leave a comment here! You are also welcome to the vigorous and useful discussion on the "Onward Litsy!" Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/OnwardLitsy/ . Thanks - @TimSpalding

We‘ve revamped the “Follow Suggested Users.” The old one was full of verified accounts that don‘t use the site now. The new is full of fresh, active members you‘ll want to follow. It‘s partially personalized according to what you read. And it‘s new every day. Enjoy!

To use, go to the home screen and tap the blue person icon in the upper-left corner. Select "find users to follow."

Don't miss out on #SantaThing! Sign-ups close soon.

http://blog.librarything.com/main/2018/11/santathing-for-litsy-members/

Pick your favorite bookstore and your price point, and LibraryThing matches you up with a Secret Santa to choose books for. Everyone gets surprise books in the mail!

Here's a sneak preview of the mug we're giving away to the first 20 @litsy members who sign up for #SantaThing.

Find out more here: http://blog.librarything.com/main/2018/11/santathing-for-litsy-members/

If you've already signed up, we'll be reaching out to lucky mug winners on Monday!

Every year LibraryThing members participate in "SantaThing," our Secret Santa for book lovers. This year we're inviting Littens to join in!

The first 20 Littens to sign up for SantaThing will get a free Litsy mug! You‘ll be the first to get them, even.

LibraryThing/Litsy takes no cut of SantaThing: It's a community project, not a money-maker. And it's a lot of fun.

http://blog.librarything.com/main/2018/11/santathing-for-litsy-members/

It's #ElectionDay! Go vote!

Introducing a new feature: Add a Book to Litsy! The @Litsy database and its sources don't have every book. Upcoming, self-published, and non-English books are not always available. So, by popular request, members can now add a book to the Litsy database.

The feature is currently available as a web page. In future versions, we'll add it to the app.

Check it out: https://www.librarything.com/litsy_addbook_manual.php

Let us know what you think!

Just want to let you know that we're aware of the issues tagging and searching for people. Tags are still functioning, so you can either type them one letter at a time and close the search box at each prompt on iOS, or just type the full name on Android in an original post. Tags in comments are working by typing full usernames. Search and autosuggest will be restored ASAP.

Quick heads up: we‘ve changed email providers. If you‘re subscribed to our newsletters, you should receive two emails today:

1. One via MailChimp saying that we‘re moving
2. A second, through our new servers. If you don't see it, check your spam folder.

You can unsubscribe with a link on the second email.

If we can guess that you are in Europe, the second email will say so, and it will be your last (!), unless you click to subscribe again.

Don't forget! #litsymovienight tonight! We're watching & discussing the film adaptation of Stardust.

Use #litsymovienight in your posts, or join the discussion on Talk on LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/topic/292633

How does Gaiman explore the concept of desire (along with the explicitly capitalized “your Heart‘s Desire”) in Stardust? Is it a good thing, a bad thing, or somewhere in between?

Reply here or tag your post #OLOB

Discussion on LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/topic/292872

What‘s your favorite scene or passage in Stardust?

Reply here or tag your post #OLOB

Discussion on LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/topic/292813

Which tropes and themes from fairytales do you see Gaiman using in Stardust? Which ones does he use, and which ones does he twist or subvert?

Reply here or tag your post #OLOB

Discussion on LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/topic/292812

How does switching around between different characters‘ points of view influence the plot taking shape?

Reply here or tag your post #OLOB

Discussion on LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/topic/292811

What do you think of the title? Why is it called “Stardust”? Is there a more apt title you can think of?

Reply here or tag your post #OLOB

Discussion on LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/topic/292810

Which edition did you read? Stardust was originally released in a graphic novel/illustrated format, and designed to be accompanied by artist Charles Vess‘s illustrations. Later on, it was also released in a prose-only format. Which edition did you read, and what did you think of it?

Reply here, or use tag #OLOB on your post.

Discussion on LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/topic/292809

Coming to a screen near you: the first ever #litsymovienight, Friday, June 29th!

We're starting a group read of Neil Gaiman's Stardust earlier that week (details: http://blog.librarything.com/main/2018/05/group-readmovie-night-june-2018). We'll finish up the week watching the 2007 film adaptation.

Stardust is available for streaming on Netflix, along with other platforms.

I wanted to update Littens on Litsy images loading slower.

We found the issue last week, fixed it and have confirmed it's fixed. The issue was that, with the app update, Litsy images stopped being resized appropriately, so they were larger than is ideal. (Graph shows image data growth and return to normal.)

We've since reintroduced resizing (and "resampling"). But we are doing slightly less of it, to make the images crisper.

Starting June 25th, join us for a group read of Neil Gaiman's Stardust! Details: http://blog.librarything.com/main/2018/05/group-readmovie-night-june-2018/.

Post here on Litsy, or join the discussion on LibraryThing's Talk forum: https://www.librarything.com/groups/onelibrarythingonebo

Use #OLOB for your posts here, and stay tuned for updates!

Friday, June 29th, we'll be doing a #litsymovienight, too, viewing the film adaptation.

Note: remainder of post continued in comment/s.

Last night's service disruptions solved. We think. As with most technical failures it wasn't a single thing that caused it, but a cascade of things that were wrong.

Short answer:
The disruptions were ultimately caused by a bad setting in the Litsy code combined with a service outage of our push notification service. We've change the code to handle this sort of outage.

Continued in comment/s...

Okay, if you've been having any trouble uploading photos, go ahead and try again.

We discovered that the maximum file size was set too low on the servers. File size varies, but it was a particular problem for users who have newer, or nicer, phones. We've raised the limits.

We've tested it with some of the images members sent us. (Thank you!) It worked. So test it yourself?

The whole note, from the Facebook group, won‘t fit in the image, but, it has the most important part. Our apologies for today‘s problems—slowness and connection problems. They were bad. But we think we fixed something important, and things will get better!

As noted, Litsy members may find their notifications/activities/conversations are empty. This is temporary. You‘ll se them later today. (Fun technical background: For an obscure reason, the notifications data is 80% of all data on the site, even though it‘s regularly pruned. So rather than have a five-hour downtime moving systems, we decided to have a one hour one, and load the notifications back slowly after.)

Litsy will be down for scheduled maintenance tomorrow, Wednesday, May 16, from 7:00am to 8:00am Eastern US time (11:00 GMT). We're adding redundancy and speed.

We'll be "truly" down, with connection failures, for about two minutes. The rest of the time we'll be up, but only one post--a downtime post--will be showing.

When we come back, past notifications will be empty, but they'll come back within an hour or so.

We've got a new-new iOS (iPhone) app. It repairs the blank-screen bug, as well as issues with stickers and frames and the app name. It's also MUCH smaller. Update your app by going to the App Store, or following the link below. (Or just wait and it will eventually happen automatically.)

Let us know below or at litsy@librarything.com if you have any problems.

Having trouble with Litsy? Please let us know! We want to help. Email us at litsy@librarything.com, or tag @litsy.

Reminder that scheduled downtime will start at 3am while we move Litsy to the LibraryThing servers. We anticipate about 8 hours of downtime. Hopefully many of you will sleep through most of it, but for those in anxious anticipation, come hang out in the Downtime Lounge, a LibraryThing Talk thread started so folks can mingle and chat while we wait! http://www.librarything.com/topic/289278 #LitsyonLT #litsynews #litsyhappenings

Hey Everyone! We want to give you a heads up about a scheduled downtime while we move Litsy to LibraryThing servers.

Litsy will be down starting at 3am Eastern (7:00 GMT) on Tuesday, April 3, for approximately 8 hours.

Can you help spread the word so it doesn't come as a surprise to any of our fellow Littens?

Happy Friday, Littens! 📚 What are you reading this weekend? #fridayreads Add yours in the comments or tag us!