Eric P. Rhodes on Warpcast

Content pfp

0 reply

0 recast

0 reaction

Reid DeRamus pfp

We've been thinking a lot about what a digital coffee table or bookshelf would look like... Part of the reason Letterboxd and Goodreads (despite a pretty rough UX) have done well is because that tap into powerful forms of self-expression, and being able to find & connect with other people that share your interests & taste in stuff that matters to you. We saw these dynamics in a big way at Crunchyroll too. Would love to hear any ideas for what we could do along these lines.

2 replies

2 recasts

23 reactions

Eric P. Rhodes pfp

I left book publishing a decade ago, and in that time, the Goodreads user experience has remained largely unchanged. This raises an important question: what’s the value prop that keeps users returning despite the outdated UX? I think it’s less about connecting with others—platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok already do that more effectively. What Goodreads and Letterboxd truly excel at is allowing users to showcase their virtual bookshelves or film catalogs for all to see. Everything else in the services seems to support this core value prop. At its essence, people love displaying their "collections."

1 reply

0 recast

6 reactions

Reid DeRamus pfp

Yep, I mostly agree. I know some people that use Goodreads as more of a data tracker app (so the tie in with Kindle is important). And then I know others — surprisingly younger folks — who use it to find other readers that have a similar taste and then find what to read through their bookshelves & activity.

2 replies

0 recast

2 reactions

Eric P. Rhodes pfp

ah yes; i can see how some people would use it as a social proof filter for new books to read. that's interesting. what do you mean by data tracker tho? like just capturing the books they read?

1 reply

0 recast

1 reaction

Reid DeRamus pfp

Exactly - tracking which books I've read, how many books in a month / year, etc. Very functional use case.

1 reply

0 recast

1 reaction

Eric P. Rhodes pfp

I've been reflecting on social platforms and how they fall into two main categories: ego-first and topic-first. Ego-first platforms (like X, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook) emphasize vanity metrics such as likes, follows, and shares to drive engagement. Where topic-first platforms (like Letterboxd, Goodreads, Quora, and Reddit) focus on user-driven content ranking, where voting, listing, or ratings determine visibility. Some platforms, like TikTok, blend the two albeit algorithmically. What fascinates me about topic-centric platforms is how users collectively act as a de facto "algorithm," providing social proof of value through their lists and votes. This, to me, is their real superpower. On Paragraph, I see post collecting as an extension of this concept. I'd care less about subscriptions to my blog if users could collect articles they like, curating personalized "home news" feeds. This would shift the focus from individual creators to the collective value of the content.

1 reply

0 recast

2 reactions

Reid DeRamus pfp

Love the ego vs. topic framework! Hadn't thought of it through that lens before...

0 reply

0 recast

1 reaction