I've read some virulently racist and anti-semitic sites, some from intellectuals like Texe Marrs, some from ridiculously stupid people like Aryan Nation. But this one is really an eye-opener, it concentrates on utter hatred for Jews (and like all anti-semites totally overestimates Jewish ability - Helen Suzman is credited with freeing South Africa and installing Nelson Mandela!)  but has plenty on the evils of non-whites and multiculturalism and is of course, homophobic. They misquote the Bible, attributing racism and anti-semitism to Jesus's words when it suits them.  Whether or not you are a follower of Christianity (I'm not, I'm an apatheist), that is right out of left court.

See what you think The Occidental Observer whose tag line is "White identity, Interests and Culture". The authors of the articles and reviews are extremely happy to give their real names the better to promote the spread of hatred. Check Author Archives and also Topics.

There is a book I sell well in the shop, Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean. Jews, mostly of Spanish/Portuguese, origin, who wandered about a bit after the Inquisition became traders in the Caribbean as they were forbidden to work for Christians, own land or slaves. Some of them became traders of the left hand - pirates. I wonder if the Occidental Observer got a hold of this book, there would suddenly be articles on how the Jews dominated the slave trade?  LOL.  That would be their style.

[Follow PetraX's link, it's important to know what's out there--RMD]

I've read some virulently racist and anti-semitic sites, some from intellectuals like Texe Marrs, some from ridiculously stupid people like Aryan Nation. But this one is really an eye-opener, it concentrates on utter hatred for Jews (and like all anti-semites totally overestimates Jewish ability - Helen Suzman is credited with freeing South Africa and installing Nelson Mandela!)  but has plenty on the evils of non-whites and multiculturalism and is of course, homophobic. They misquote the Bible, attributing racism and anti-semitism to Jesus's words when it suits them.  Whether or not you are a follower of Christianity (I'm not, I'm an apatheist), that is right out of left court.

See what you think The Occidental Observer whose tag line is "White identity, Interests and Culture". The authors of the articles and reviews are extremely happy to give their real names the better to promote the spread of hatred. Check Author Archives and also Topics.

There is a book I sell well in the shop, Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean. Jews, mostly of Spanish/Portuguese, origin, who wandered about a bit after the Inquisition became traders in the Caribbean as they were forbidden to work for Christians, own land or slaves. Some of them became traders of the left hand - pirates. I wonder if the Occidental Observer got a hold of this book, there would suddenly be articles on how the Jews dominated the slave trade?  LOL.  That would be their style.

(Let Petra X know, not me, Sandi. ;-)).

I did Xanga for years. There was a big circle of us who blogged regularly and got to know each other.  I had some really interesting friends there. One, a very well-off young woman traveller from Brunei Darussalam, another a dog trainer at the highest level in Australia and an American from North Carolina, ex-drug dealer, ex-Christian fundamentalist, ex-Messianic Jew turned charity fundraiser  and photographer. They wrote fascinating blogs about their lives.  Then there was Facebook.

And the minutae of people's lives, "the woman in the next cubicle is always....", "I made chocolate chip cookies from a new recipe," and 'X is in Starbucks', made considerably less fascinating reading. It just bored me, I couldn't do it. But I found Goodreads!

I couldn't blog on Goodreads for true, but it was all about books and friends again. Until Otis got more about money than members.  Over the years I tried various blogging sites as well, but I could never find community. Then there was Booklikes, books and blogging, and best of all, community. That's why I love it here.

If there are any Xanga people here I'd love to hear from you.

Press Release - March 06, 2014
Synchronize BookLikes with your Kindle

March 6, 2014 -- BookLikes, free and independent blog platform designed for book lovers, introduces reading progress synchronization for Amazon Kindle.

Book lovers use BookLikes to share their reading milestones, connect with book bloggers and share book reviews and book recommendations with their followers. Today BookLikes is making all of that even easier by allowing its users to synchronize their account with Kindle e-readers and reading apps.

BookLikes presents Kindle reading update synchronization which lets each BookLikes member keep their BookLikes followers up to date on reading status and the latest information about read and rated ebooks straight from Kindle device. If you read on Kindle and share the reading progress and ratings across your social media, it will be updated on user’s BookLikes account. Each member can configure his/her synchronization option in BookLikes Settings and share ebook reading flow and ebook ratings in real time manner directly from Kindle e-reader.

BookLikes, an independent global platform designed for book lovers, integrates functions of a blog platform and book social site. The service lets users create a personal webpage with a blog, virtual bookshelf and reading timeline. Redesigned BookLikes launched in May 2013 and during ten months

The service releases one new feature every week and the most recent news include customization features and new blog designs, giveaways (including ebooks), discussion rooms, book blog directory, open API and BookLikes ISBN Scanner iOS app.

More information:
david@booklikes.com

__________________________

Some comments:

"...[G]athered tens of thousands of the most influential book bloggers from all around the world and became one of the biggest competitor to other popular book social sites like Goodreads."

Tens of thousands? I'd like to meet just a few not from Goodreads, but that perhaps is a function of BL that it is difficult to meet anyone who isn't connected to you by a friend anyway.  And why did we come to Booklikes? Because Goodreads sold out to Amazon, got a new boss, head of the Kindle division, and it's like that old song, here we go, here we go, here we go again...

Can't anyone resist Amazon?  It's just plain contemptuous to ignore the obvious dislike of Amazon and sharing information with them (see the comments yesterday's Thursday Candy, sour candy, garnered). I had a message yesterday from a friend who had commented who asked me if I felt that Dawid was being disingenous with his answers. As it turns out, the answer is yes.

The tone of the press release, wow. So positive, so aren't you all so pleased that now Amazon will know not only what book you have purchased rented from them, but they will know your rating, when you update your blog and which social media you are sharing it with and your screenname Goodreads, the review you wrote there. If you are sharing with other social media, the data they will have on you is amazing, BookLikes just adds to all that. I am sure that Amazon has algorithms that once it finds yet another screen name for a user they will look it up all over the net, see what else they can find out about you. Sure they are 'only' using it to make money from, to sell you everything on the sun, to sell you and your friends and family's data, sure it isn't anything malign. But.... how long before some government covertly or not, wants the information on you, or on all of us? Don't say it wouldn't happen, Google's done it...

You and I may have nothing to hide, but it doesn't mean we want to share with the world either. Even if you life in a gated community, you still lock your front door.

Yesterday there was a furore going on about Ann Rice's attempts to stop all negative reviews being published by getting Amazon to make everyone who posts use their credit card name. (She doesn't however think that authors should stop using pen names).  Amazon is about sales. To that end it has deleted a lot of reviews (Temple of Words here, a very non-confrontational and thoughtful blogger lost all hers), mine among them, a 2 star review at that, didn't mention the author, deleted comments, deleted whole threads. On Goodreads, Amazon have changed the culture from bookclub to authors' marketplace and gone in for review deletions, shelf deletions, and allowed, if not passively encouraged, paid reviews. Once there was only Fiverr, yesterday I found over 40 companies offering fake Amazon and Goodreads reviews.

And now we have Dawid saying that Booklikes is independent... Depends on your definition of independence really doesn't it?

Booklikes: "[T]here will be new sorting options with new book data base."
Me: "New book database! Squeeeeee."
Booklikes: "We keep promises :) Works are in progress."