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Major Book Publishers Start Turning To Scribd

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Re: Major Book Publishers Start Turning To Scribd

#4
"But these options aren’t conducive to sharing content that you’ve discovered on the web, as they don’t allow your to embed them in your blogs and websites."

False. The Google Book Search API allows you to do precisely that: http://code.google.com/apis/books/

Scribd allows user uploads though, and that seems to be their biggest differentiator right now.

Re: Major Book Publishers Start Turning To Scribd

#5
post #3

Hopefully they will use the money from this deal to turn their website into something that users don't hate.

The reader embedded in the Scribd site drives me insane.

Windows PDF viewing is problematic. Scribd's iPaper eliminates that problem.

Do you use Windows?

Re: Major Book Publishers Start Turning To Scribd

#6
post #5
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reader embedded in the Scribd site drives me insane.

Windows PDF viewing is problematic. Scribd's iPaper eliminates that problem. Do you use Windows?

Only under extreme duress, or when running CAD software. Normally, Linux.

Re: Major Book Publishers Start Turning To Scribd

#7
Perhaps I'm missing something but wasn't the "publishing documents on the internet" problem solved long ago by The World Wide Web? Or is the purpose of Scribd to recreate the magical experience of reading various dead tree formats, even though it doesn't actually do that?

Re: Major Book Publishers Start Turning To Scribd

#8

Hopefully they will use the money from this deal to turn their website into something that users don't hate.

Not that I disagree, but boy does there seem to be some hate for scribd. I loathe using it, it's actually worse than adobe reader!

I have seen other non-technical users who enjoy the content available on the site though. Perhaps it's making inroads as an "easier" torrent book search for layman?

Re: Major Book Publishers Start Turning To Scribd

#9
Every time there's a Scribd-related post on HN, the comments are negative and repetitive. I don't use the service either, but:

1. It's successful, at least in terms of traffic, so it's worth watching and perhaps learning from.

2. The web hasn't obliterated the old document formats (yet). Not everyone that has content in those formats has the time or inclination to replicate the layout in HTML, so Scribd is making distribution easier for them. It may not be solving your problem but it is solving some people's problem.

People here usually have a soft spot for YC funded startups; not sure why Scribd's treated like the disowned member of the family.

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