Off-Topic: The Story of an Internet Revolt

... a sad state of affairs... and shame on you GR/Amazon.

I will admit that I'm not on GR all that much. Sadly, I don't read as much as I would like and I'm not articulate enough to write good, helpful, lengthy reviews of the few books that I do read. But I love(d) GR because it was a place where I could read honest reviews and even get to know the people that made up this incredible community on a more personal level through what they wrote - whether it was a straight forward review or an off-topic sharing of their heart and/or head.

I am saddened and angry that GR/Amazon has put censorship in this place. And, yes, that's what I feel it is. Others may not, but I do. GR/Amazon not only started this censorship campaign but did it in a way that says, “we don't really care about you or what you think about us.” I guess that's big business-corporate America for you. And we, the peons - the consumers, are supposed to just accept it. Even if we speak up, or protest, or revolt, it usually doesn't put a dent in the situation. I can only hope and pray that this situation might be different, that GR/Amazon hear the voices shouting and pleading and search their own hearts and ask, “what have we done to this community - to ourselves?” I really don't have much faith, though, that this will happen.

So... I'm off to check out booklikes...


Added consequence to this... I will no longer trust the reviews I read here and I will no longer review the books I read. I may not be here much longer.

This could have been more organized but people have done an amazing job.


I did not realize at first that Goodreads was deleting off topic reviews. This make things all the more wrong. You make a social network about books, you clearly do not expect people to talk about books only because that would be just boring. I think what is keeping this website together is the fact that it has united all these people who share a love of books despite all of their differences. This website has no value without the people.
Goodreads have been once a good place, and right now, I am honestly re-thinking about that.

I am strongly against all of these people who left just because they deleted their reviews. Goodreads won't care if you left, they have 20 millions. But they do care if you fought. So I am staying, and I am fighting until this twisted law is abolished.

Back to why they are deleting off topic reviews.
Have you ever wondered why a system, when it makes a new law and people hate it, they work on silencing people? It is because they are scared.
So yes, Goodreads, I am accusing you of being scared from my words, from the words of this little silly 17 year-old living in the middle east, from that author who criticized all the whining self-published, from that guy who had an Eureka moment in the bathroom. Yes, you are scared. Because if it wasn't for us regulars, this minority, you wouldn't exist. You only have 20 millions members in number, but you have a very low percentage of this 20 millions who hold this website together. And guess what Goodreads? I am accusing you of being scared of us, because if it weren't for our words, you wouldn't exist. If it weren't for the time we spend on this website regularly (even if I don't have the chance to log in much anymore), no one would recognize you. Do you know how many friends of mine joined this website because I told them about it? And I joined because someone else told me about it. If people just keep leaving, you will not only lose the ones who made this website, who gave it its value, but this website will eventually have no future. And mister head of Amazon won't be thrilled, so he will take his money back, and even if he doesn't, Goodreads, just show me how much money matters in the end.

I am not going to leave. I am staying, and I am fighting.