Chris Andrews, the Executive Producer of Gutenberg.com, is particularly excited about bringing together people who read ebooks into a new network, where they can learn, discuss, and have some fun. “I think it’s important that we remember that reading is fun. It’s fun whether it’s in a printed book or an ebook. And people love to discuss books. Let’s not let the “computer syndrome” hit us, where we make everything complicated. Keep it simple, this is a book, everyone knows what a book is. It’s been around for over 500 years.”
A lovely sentiment, and it really gets to the heart of the problem with ebook readers. It is not that people are sitting around wishing for a new device to allow them to buy their beloved books all over again. People are thinking, “I live in a world where information is increasingly digital, and my books remain mostly unchanged in 500 years.”
If we focus on what is great about books, and what we can add to them now that internet connections are everywhere new things are possible, the ebook readers will come.
The new Gutenberg.com is hoping to do that. They have a social network built on Ning that they’d like you to be a part of. They have a blog. And if they’re lucky, they’ll ride the coattails of the Amazon announcement rather than get buried by it.
Press release:Â Gutenberg.com Officially Opens – Invites Ebook Lovers and Neophytes Worldwide to Become Part of Growing Ebook Community.