Last week, I read this blog. It inspired me to think about the value of social media, e-readers, and e-publishing. As writers and thinkers, we have a responsibility to the future. Or more accurately, we have a responsibility to preserve history. We must make published documents accessible for future generations.

Do you think they’ll use the same technology in 2511 we use now? Is publishing our most valuable information in such a way that is likened to thousands of authors 500 years ago writing a trillion documents on papyrus, shredding each document into 10,000 pieces, and strewing those documents across the earth the best way to preserve our history?

In that blog, the author jokingly theorized that perhaps future generations might study Kanye West’s tweets. Do you think civilizations 500 years from now will consider what he tweeted, in the midst of zillions of gigabytes of information, that valuable? I’d argue that in the 26th century Kanye West and Lady Gaga will be celebrated, if they are known, in the same way we celebrate minstrels. Do you consider lyrics of a minstrel from 500 years ago valuable? Do you know any?

I theorize ancient civilizations had better means to preserve their most valuable documents. Though, just as we publish in a way that is the most convenient and cost saving for us, perhaps they published in the same way.

What do you think? Is e-publishing likened to thousands of authors, writing trillions of documents, shredding each of those docs into ten thousand pieces, and strewing them across the earth? Or is e-publishing likened to the advent of the printing press? I’d love to know your thoughts.

Stay social, my friends!

Erick

Several years ago, I went to one of poet Billy Collins poetry readings. After the reading, I had the chance to ask for his autograph. I handed him my book and asked, “What would you say to someone about to graduate from college with his Literature degree, who has no idea what he wants to do other than write?”

Mr. Collins set the book down, leaned back, stretched his arms out and placed his hands behind his head, so his arms made a wing-like shape, and looked off into the distance. I looked back at the line of hundreds of autograph-seekers and then at the poet.

To Mr. Collins, perhaps thinking of how to answer my question, the crowd had disappeared. “Let it move into the center of your life,” he said. “Don’t expect it to happen overnight. Let it evolve.” His wisdom continued, and I asked him questions. He had stepped out of his role as poet into that of teacher, sage, and perhaps even father.

Yesterday, I came across this blog about the Kindlegraph. It allows readers to request autographs from authors via Docusign. The author of this blog wrote, “there are certain aspects of physical books that ebooks will struggle to replicate.”

Even if during my lifetime, Facebook, Google, or Microsoft introduces a technology that allows authors to beam themselves into bookstores via holographs, so they can use a digital pen to sign ereaders via infrared technology, that will not replace the personal touch of waiting in line for hours only to stand in front of one of your literary heroes for just one moment and engaging.

Stay social, my friends!

Erick

Onto the last day of my three-day series on the top e-readers on the market. Neither of these last two are household names, but you might recognize the manufacturer of the second one.
First, the Copia Ocean 9” Reader is a wide-screen e-reader. Along with the ability to hold up to 3,000 books, it can also hold a microSD card. If users want to listen to audio books or music, there are stereo speakers. This enables people to listen without the need to use headphones.

For those concerned about connecting to the Internet, this e-reader does not offer 3G. It does offer its own social platform, so Copia users can connect with one another. Though, with only WiFi connectivity, it may be harder to connect with other Copia users than is worth the money.

Acer offers the Lumiread, including more than 5,000,000 titles, which is more than twice what Amazon currently offers. This e-reader offers something no other e-reader on the market offers. For those who peruse actual bookstores or libraries, there is a built-in ISBN scanner. This allows users to quickly compare prices of physical books and e-books. Users can also download and save content from the Internet to read offline. And the Clear.fi media system allows users to transfer books from their desktop to this e-reader.

Onto the downside. The only real downside of the Lumina is that the number keys also function as the top row of QWERTY keys. If you can get past that, this 1st generation e-reader is just as impressive as the best ones out there.

Stay social my friends,

Erick

Today, let’s look at the Nook Color and the Skiff Reader by Hearst Publishing.

Along with Internet browsing, the Nook Color also offers Internet radio, and audio and video player with the Android media player.  Among the various apps that come with the Nook are Office document reader, book-snippet sharing via Twitter and Facebook, and more.  For those avid readers, the Nook can hold up to 6,000 books, and for those who want more they can add up to 32GB in the microSD Expansion slot.

Of course, there are some downsides.  There is no 3G support, it is nearly twice the size of the Kindle, and it doesn’t connect to the Android market.  Barnes & Noble markets the Nook as an e-reader, but it functions more as a tablet.

Okay, onto the Skiff Reader.  Hearst Publishing offers the largest e-reader on the market (11.5”), which makes it great for reading newspapers and magazines.  It will also have its own e-store, as well as other online services over the Sprint network.  Not only does the e-reader connect to WiFi, but it also connects to 3G.

Now, onto the cons.  If you read quite a few magazines and newspapers, the Skiff Reader may be for you.  For those who read more books than periodicals, the 11.5” screen might be bigger than they want.  The zoom is slow, there is about an inch of blank space on all sides when displaying an e-book, and the pages refresh every time the page are moved.

Stay social my friends,

Erick

With less than a week to go before Christmas I thought you might like blogs about ereaders. There are 65 ereaders (including tablets) on the markets, but I am going to blog about the six I think are the best.

The six I chose are ereaders, not tablets with the capability to store ebooks.  The difference is memory.  An ereader can store thousands of ebooks, while a tablet can only store a few hundred ebooks.  All of the ereaders I chose also connect to the Internet.  I’ll review two a day, for the next three days.  For today, the two I chose are the Kindle 3 and a less known one called the Alex Reader.

The Kindle 3 is the only ereader that Best-ereaders.com gives five stars in all four categories (readability, price, battery life, and available content).  Not only does the Kindle 3 have color display and more memory, but it also offers WiFi, 3G, and the new Pearl e-ink display. The battery lasts up to a month, and 3G is free in more than 100 countries outside of the U.S., which are both great for people traveling.

So, what’re the downsides of the Kindle 3?  It doesn’t support ePub, book sharing, and library books.  And magazines and comics are only displayed in black and white.  If you can get past those two fallbacks, the Kindle might be the ereader for you.

Onto the Alex Reader by Spring Design.  This reader runs on Google Android 1.6, comes with Internet (WiFi and 3G), and offers dual screen technology.  The Alex Reader can download Adobe digital content from Google books and buy reading material from Border’s Kobo-based book store.  This ereader even comes with an MP3 Player.

Onto the drawbacks.  The only significant drawback is that the some people feel the Android operating system distracts from the main focus of the Alex Reader as an ereader.  Of course, the price ($399) is another drawback.

Come back tomorrow, and I’ll tell you about a couple of more great ereaderss.

Stay Social My Friends,

Erick

For this week, I would like to explore the ethical issue of e-book piracy, so please read and respond to this blog with your thinking caps on.

Books lose their value due to wear and tear; but it is the e-reader, rather than the e-book, that loses value due to both wear and tear and new technology. Since what causes a physical book to lose value does not cause an e-book to lose value, the issue of e-book piracy is a two part issue. First, it is an issue of what we as readers allow to determine the value of literature. Second, it is the issue of what determines the deterioration of the value of that literature.

If it’s not considered stealing to rummage through a used book store’s free book bin, is there a point that an e-book, perhaps 20 years from now, will also lose value? What will cause it to lose its value? If a I can borrow a physical book from a library, shouldn’t I be allowed to borrow an e-book from a library? If I cannot borrow e-books from libraries, why should I buy an e-reader? For me, convenience is not enough.

Perhaps, with e-books, publishers will come out with a technology that allows friends and libraries to transfer e-books provided they agree that e-book be erased from their computer or e-reader. In the case of author royalties, perhaps authors, publishers, and distributors should raise e-book prices, thus accounting for waste and theft.

I am of the persuasion that literature is created to be shared not hoarded, but never stolen or pirated. How should authors and publishers handle e-book piracy? Should they raise e-book prices to adjust for potential piracy? Should they shy away from selling e-books much like so many would be authors never publish because of fears that someone will steal their ideas? I’d love to hear any thoughts or suggestions.

Again, my question is not about what defines e-book piracy, rather it’s where do the ethical lines of what is e-book piracy begin and end, as well as what determines the value and the deterioration of the value of literature? It’s obviously stealing to walk into a Barnes & Noble, take a book off a book shelf, and walk out of the store without paying for it. It’s not considered stealing to go to a library and borrow a book. If authors have a right to expect readers not to download pirated copies of their books, readers have a right to expect that they can share that author’s information with other readers in an ethical way.

Perhaps, aspiring authors, such as myself, can take a lesson from names like Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Faulkner, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky who determined the value of literature according to strong content that caused people to think and change society rather than fluffy literature that did nothing more than allow people to further delude themselves from the ills of society.

Next week, I’ll explore the issue of e-publishing, so make sure to come back.

Erick

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you might have seen my snide remark about the Kindle’s black and white screen. I think I said something about it being 2010, not 1910.  Let’s just say, they’re a little behind, asthetically.  Since it’s too late for Amazon’s Kindle to lead the charge, they at least need to take the hint and catch up.

For now, there’s a new kid . . . er . . . I mean e-reader on the block, and this one rivals the iPad. Or as I like to call it, the iFad. I’d like to introduce ‘Novel‘ by Pandigital.

So, let me tell you about some of the cool features. Starting with the built in dictionary. One of my pet peeves is when authors insist on using big words that require dictionaries. Apparently, Pandigital gets frustrated with that also, because this e-reader comes with a dictionary.

Another great feature is for people like me, who actually enjoy 19th century Russian literature (i.e. Doestoevsky), but sometimes get confused with the names and places (not the words, though). Just search for a name or place by keyword and Novel will let you know who’s who, what’s what, and where’s where.

Okay, so you want more, and this e-reader gives you more. Pandigital teamed up with Barnes & Noble to bring you over 1,000,000 e-book titles to select from Novel. Each title includes a book summary, plot overviews, and more.

Now, if you’re anything like me, you can’t go for long without checking your e-mail and various social networking sites. Pandigital understands it’s important to keep up with what’s going on in the world of social media marketing, so they equipped this e-reader with a Web browser. And some of the features integrate your experience with social media.

Among a few of the other features of the Novel is the built-in camera, digital audio player (yes, there’s a place for your headphones), and more.

For now, if you really reall really must have the latest in technology, you might want to get the iFad, because the Novel by Pandigital won’t come out until sometime in June.

But, here’s the good news for those who can wait. It runs on Google’s Android, and it starts at just $199.

For more information, check out this great vid by Cnet.