Sean Reiser

After reading @kindlejunkie’s tweets on how to update your Library Thing via Twitter (and how it’ll work from a kindle), I got to thinking about the Kindle and how it should be integrated better into social networking.

History

Most people know that Amazon bought Shelfari back in August and I thought this was an inspired move. I figured a tight integration between the 2 services would be fantastic. Imagine that when you write reviews on Shelfari they get ported to Amazon (and vice versa). When you buy a book off of Amazon it gets added to your book shelf automatically.

What Does This Have to Do With The Kindle?

If Amazon builds the infrastructure I began discussing about above it would be trivial to add the following features to the Kindle:

• Update the books on your shelf based on your kindle purchases and books loaded onto your kindle via USB.

• Update the “Book I’m Currently Reading”.

• Rate and Review books, directly on your Kindle and update not just Amazon.com but also Shelfari.

• Import book annotations into Shelfari.

Now It Can Really Get Cool

Once all this is in place there are some rather interesting thing that can happen:

• As you search the kindle store your friends reviews would float above anyone else’s.

• On a Daily basis whispernet could deliver all your friends’ statuses and reviews to your kindle. There would, of course links to the book referenced to make purchases easier.

• Annotations could be shared amongst friends. Imagine you’re in a class and could effectively setup virtual study groups by share thoughts on book passages via your kindle.

That’s just a start. There’s more I’m sure but that’s a beginning.