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Anonymity on the Internet seems to bring out the worst of people. I was randomly browsing through the comments on articles on the New York Times website and MyLifeisAverage and I was taken aback by the sheer obnoxiousness and hatefulness people were spewing on the sites. I wonder how many of these people would dare to say the same things in real-life that they’re able to say while hiding behind an anonymous screen name online. It makes my faith in humanity diminish that much less :/
The slow demise of bookstores :(
I was reading an article, Bargain Hunting for Books, and Feeling Sheepish About It, at New York Times today and it made me sad. According to the piece, bookstores are slowly losing revenue and some are even closing due to the easy of buying and reselling books online.
“In other words, it’s all the fault of people like myself, who increasingly use the Internet both to buy books and later, after their value to us is gone, sell them.”
In some ways, the Internet has made it easier to read more books, making lesser known and rarer books available, especially the classics and out-of-print books that are now hard to find in some stores. On the other hand, though, it cuts into profits for both bookstore, publishing companies, and authors, because when people like me or you sell or trade books with each other, the three entities mentioned above don’t get a single cent out of our transaction.
I’ll admit that I’m one of those guilty of using the Internet (and libraries because they’re free!) a lot more than bookstores when it comes to acquiring new books. Lately, I’ve been using Swaptree.com, which allows you to list all the old books, dvds, and CDs that you don’t want anymore, create a wishlist of items that you do want, and then uses a system to match you up with someone who can trade with you so that everyone ends up happy. Neat, right? So far, I’ve gotten an almost brand-new copy of Kung Fu Panda, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the book The Queen’s Fool in exchange for old books I didn’t read anymore. Someone else’s trash is another person’s treasure, right? And what’s wrong with spreading the love of books all around?
I do love going to Barnes and Nobles, but just looking at the price tags on some of the books makes me cringe. Why should I pay $20 for a hardcover copy of Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes when I can get the same book, used but in almost new condition, for around $5 or less online? Or pay $200 for a new textbook when I can find the same thing for $100 on Half.com? I think what the publishing companies and bookstores need to do is capitalize on the advantages that the Internet offers. E-books are quickly becoming popular, and it’s an area they should look further into. Otherwise, they have to find other means of luring customers into stores or face a slow death of the industry :(