Cozy Mystery Corner discussion

Changes to Messaging on Goodreads
message: Hello Goodreads Member,

In the coming weeks, we will be making some updates to how messaging works on Goodreads.

What's Changing?
• Direct messages between individual members will no longer be available
• Images and external links will no longer be supported in messages

While direct messages between individual members are no longer available, you can still access your past messages from your inbox, Group moderators can still send broadcast messages to their group members, and you can still send group invitations to your Goodreads friends. All other public interactions, such as writing and responding to book reviews, remains unchanged.

-The Goodreads Team

I haven't heard of anyone who is happy with this change - or anyone that can figure out the reasoning behind it. Most group moderators are beyond upset about it, with good reason.

Barb wrote: "I haven't heard of anyone who is happy with this change - or anyone that can figure out the reasoning behind it. Most group moderators are beyond upset about it, with good reason."

There's a petition on change.org racking up signatures. Literally no one in any of the groups I belong to supports this change. Amazon has the resources to stop bots and do whatever else they use as an excuse. (verify age?)

I agree I do not like it at all. I moderate another group (Historical mysteries), and me and the other moderator often send messages.
There is no reason for change

And another change: We are now only able to post ONE new topic each day. So if you post a thread for your Serial Reader series each month, you won't be able to start another *new thread (you can still post new messages in existing threads) until the next day.

It's like they're *trying to make it hard for group moderators to do their 'jobs'!

Note : I would have started a new topic for this, but I've already used my one new topic for today and can't post any others until tomorrow.

Wow seriously? Sounds like they want to shut down the social aspect of the site by forcing people to be so frustrated they quit.

Barb wrote: "And another change: We are now only able to post ONE new topic each day. So if you post a thread for your Serial Reader series each month, you won't be able to start another *new thread (you can st..."

Is this true for all groups we're in, or just one group?

Since this is a comment, even though it's numbered as a message, it's not the same. We'll still be able to post links in comments.

First... Barb wrote: "Note : I would have started a new topic for this, but I've already used my one new topic for today and can't post any others until tomorrow." That is funny!

I, too, don't like the change. I have not seen anything in the groups I belong to, but I'm wondering if it came out of "fake news"-type postings, bot-created postings, some sort of bullying, or members being spammed by others and GoodReads just doesn't want to deal with any or all of it. Rather than shutting down one board or trying to figure out who's really doing what, they just force new rules on everyone. Less to monitor.

Though they say they won't allow outside links, I think one can still list URLs in their posts. It just won't hyperlink. We'd have to copy/paste. This makes it a hassle for those who post short reviews on GoodReads and longer, more detailed reviews on their own sites.

I'm hoping GoodReads comes to it's senses. This is one of my favorite sites and I'd hate to lose the flexibility we've had. I don't know where I'd get my book news if I couldn't read the boards and chat with friends and other posters. =o(

Barb wrote: "And another change: We are now only able to post ONE new topic each day. So if you post a thread for your Serial Reader series each month, you won't be able to start another *new thread (you can st..."

Could you give us the link to where you learned about that change? I would like to be able to see all of the parameters.

Barb wrote: "And another change: We are now only able to post ONE new topic each day. So if you post a thread for your Serial Reader series each month, you won't be able to start another *new thread (you can st..."

I was just a victim of this! Was setting up 2026 challenges and I thought there was just an error until I realized it was this dumb 1 new topic. I don't understand why this needs to be limited. Or if you have to limit, it could be 1 new topic per group unless you're a mod. Mods need to be unrestricted.

Storm Bay wrote: "Barb wrote: "And another change: We are now only able to post ONE new topic each day. So if you post a thread for your Serial Reader series each month, you won't be able to start another *new threa..."

As far as I can tell, it's for all groups, all across GR. So if you start a new topic/thread in this group, you won't be able to do so in another group until the next day. Although a handful of people have been able to start multiple topics on the same day, so either they were lucky or GR has eased up a bit.

Could you give us the link to where you learned about that change? I would like to be able to see all of the parameters.

There is no link, it's from personal experience.


Linda wrote: "Mods need to be unrestricted."

Wouldn't that be nice? The latest I've heard from other mods who have run up against it is this : We can post 10 comments/messages in existing threads, then we're locked out until an hour after that 10th message, when we can (theoretically) post another 10 messages before being locked out again. Who has time to come back to GR multiple times a day to get everything done?

That's really going to make it tedious for mods in groups that post a lot of new challenges at the end of every month - and who want to welcome people when they join a challenge *and congratulate them when they finish.

If I was only active in one group, it would be relatively easy to work around, but I'm active in three other groups besides this one...

Barb wrote: "And another change: We are now only able to post ONE new topic each day. So if you post a thread for your Serial Reader series each month, you won't be able to start another *new thread (you can st..."

Maybe that's part of the problem I had posting featured reads last month. I did not see a notice for this change.

Since Amazon bought it, GR seems less about book talks and more about book sales. It started when they revamped the home page removing discussion topics and making groups harder to access.

Nell wrote: "Barb wrote: "And another change: We are now only able to post ONE new topic each day. So if you post a thread for your Serial Reader series each month, you won't be able to start another *new threa..."

Maybe that's part of the problem I had posting featured reads last month."

That is very probable. Fortunately, since this change first went into effect, things have changed a bit. We can still post up to three new topics a day, but after posting the first one, you need to wait at least an hour before posting another. That's a real pain for those who find it difficult to come back to GR multiple times a day.

At this point in time, there's also a limit to the number of comments - posts in already-existing threads - any of us can make. We can post ten comments, but then have to wait at least an hour after the tenth comment before posting any others. Then we have to wait at least another hour before we can post more. It really makes things difficult for moderators in active groups, but I don't think 'they' care!

" I did not see a notice for this change."

If there was a notice, I never saw it - I just ran into it when I tried to post several new topics in the same half-hour window and several of my moderator friends confirmed they encountered the same issue.


"Since Amazon bought it, GR seems less about book talks and more about book sales. It started when they revamped the home page removing discussion topics and making groups harder to access."

Couldn't agree more. I think they'd like to do away with groups entirely, to be honest. If that's so, I wish they'd just say so and shut the groups down. I wouldn't be happy, but at least we'd know where we stand.