Ya working on it, Alibaba and Amazon's AI is stuck on our website, having to block them as just destroying us for no reason. Really frustrating.
Yep, I am different because I focus on helping readers find books they will LOVE (not just like).
So, I am trying to figure out why readers like specific books and how to get a book in front of them with a higher chance of them loving it. I am trying to build a Book DNA profile of each reader and see if I can use that data to deliver a better recommendation to them. I am hoping to increase excitement around reading if I can achieve this.
The second focus is on helping readers browse and explore books in new/fun/unique ways. This is where I started, as it was an easier place to get going, and we've asked over 12,000 authors and experts to share five books around a topic, theme, or mood they are experts in or passionate about. We are trying to connect those in fun ways so you can follow your curiosity through the website. And we have a lot more crazier ideas coming :).
The third focus is to build a strong community around sharing what books I love and celebrating them.
A longer breakdown here: https://build.shepherd.com/p/what-is-shepherds-mission-for-r...
Goodreads is more of a pure book tracking app and they haven't really built anything new in 8 years. Which is a pity.
In a few days, launching user accounts + our first user feature using our new Book DNA review system that is trying to help narrow in on the type of books you love and why. The goal is to serve better recommendations going forward and get more people excited about reading.
It is fun :)