
Ask HN: As serious readers, how important are discussions for you? - gekkostate
Hi everyone!<p>As a serious reader, how important are discussions for you? I love reading and I often find myself in the following situation:<p><pre><code>  1) Read a really great book i.e., Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman (amazing read btw, 10&#x2F;10 would recommend)

  2) Find someone to have meaningful, deep discussions with (someone who has also read the book)

  3) Profit.
</code></pre>
Unfortunately, #3 comes rarely. `:(`<p>I&#x27;m in the midst of developing an idea (http:&#x2F;&#x2F;qitab.club -- just landing page with additional details) which is trying to solve the following problems:<p><pre><code>  1) Difficulty finding people who are reading the same book to discuss with

  2) Book clubs, which are great but have their own pace and their own roadmap
</code></pre>
I&#x27;ve tried finding book clubs but they always have their own roadmap and there are usually 100s if not 1000s in a single group. So, I&#x27;m trying to develop
something where you can answer discussion questions for yourself and later, form small groups (the app helps with this) to discuss the book with.<p>I&#x27;d love to hear your thoughts and learn about the problems you face for your discussions.<p>Thanks for your time!
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dawg-
I love the idea and would participate. I have experienced your problem as
well, I love to read great books that are a little off the beaten path and
don't really know many people with the same hobby.

But how would you keep it discussion-centric, with consistent high-quality,
high-effort content instead of accidentally turning into a knockoff of
Goodreads? Also, how will this be any different than a simple online forum
about literature?

~~~
gekkostate
Great questions!

1\. How would you keep it discussion-centric (not GoodReads) ...?

2\. How will this be any different than a simple online forum about
literature?

To answer your first question -- the idea is to use the guided questions as a
basis for your discussion. So, you already start on firm ground followed by
questions/prompts for the group you're in. A lot of this is dependent on the
UI/UX however, I am considering having structured responses which aren't
entirely free form or even, a series of responses with a mix of both.

Why is this not just a forum about literature? Literature forums typically are
composed of, essentially, smaller book clubs. The problem is that book clubs
will have a group of people that you'll have to edge your way into and they'll
be going at a specific pace and roadmap. On the other hand, with Qitab, you're
not beholden to the whims of a book club etc. Instead, you start with
structured questions to engage you with your text so you have the upside of a
book club without being a part of one _and_ when you're ready, you can search
out other people on Qitab who are also reading the book so you can engage when
you want.

I hope that answers your questions! It would be awesome if you could visit
[http://qitab.club](http://qitab.club) and sign up (you're e-mail is 100%
confidential and _will not_ be shared with advertisers etc.) -- that'll be a
really great vote of confidence and I can follow up with you as we're
developing.

