Play Book Tag discussion
Welcome to Play Book Tag!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How does Play Book Tag work?With most book clubs, member choose a book, everyone reads it, and then a discussion is held about that specific title.
Play Book Tag is a different kind of book club.
Here, we pick a theme, also known as a tag or shelf, and each month we read books that fit the theme. For example, the tag might be memoirs. First, we generally discuss what memoirs people have read in that past that they would like to recommend. Then, each member decides what memoir they personally wish to read. After we read our memoir, many of us choose to post reviews of what we read . . .and others comment on the reviews.
We also hold general book discussions all month long. And we do other special fun activities - - like reading challenges and games and book swaps!
Each year, we vote on and participate in two year long challenges. This year's challenges are Expanding Our PBT Horizons and Trim the TBR.
You can learn more about these later on in the thread.
Also, note that we tend to use "tags" and "shelves" interchangeably. They mean essentially the same thing, though ŷ does use shelves.
What is a shelf exactly?A shelf is a way to notate a book with a descriptor so that later you can easily find the book. ŷ users often shelve their books so that they can easily find them on their personal bookshelves. Examples of shelves might be: history, China, literary fiction, or humor.
ŷ maintains a list of the shelves (or tags) that are the most used by ŷ members. You can find a list of shelves in order of most popular to least popular at:
/shelf
The first 300 or so shelves (after taking our duplicates) are the ones we use for Play Book Tag. Each month, a shelf is chosen and most members read a book that fits the tag.
An alternative way to navigate to the list of tags is:
1. Click the arrow by Explore in the top banner of any ŷ page.
2. Select the Genres link.
3. On the left hand side, you will see Browse with a small list of shelves. at the bottom of that section, select More Genres.
4. This is a list of all shelves in alphabetical order. To see the shelves sorted by popularity, scroll to the bottom and select See All Shelves.
5. Now you will be on the page entitled Top Shelves and the list will be sorted from most popular to least popular.
Play Book Tag chooses one of these top 300 shelves each month as our theme.
How are the shelves chosen for each month?Each month, there are three tag options from the top 300 tags: two are selected from the list randomly, and then one member is selected to pick the third tag. The one member is randomly selected from everyone who posted a review for the previous month's tag.
We then post an online survey, open to all members, and each member may cast at least one vote for the tag of their choice.
Everyone gets at least one vote. If a member is active here, they may earn participation points which may then be used to cast additional votes, up to a total of 10 points in any one vote.
We have been known to change how the tags are chosen from time to time, so watch this space for updates.
How do I find books that fit the shelf?ŷ conveniently provides a listing of the books that fit a particular tag.
To see the listing, find the shelf from the list of popular ŷ shelves at: /shelf. You can type in the shelf name in the search bar at the top to find it quickly and easily.
Click on or search for any of the shelves, and a list of the most popular books that fit the shelf will be displayed.
How do I know if book on the tag list is also on my bookshelf?Unfortunately, the admins have not figured out a good way to do this on ŷ, and it was a very useful tool on Shelfari.
As we learn more about ŷ we may discover a way to make this work and will certainly let everyone know if we do. Also, if any members know how to do this, please share!
In the meantime, it is helpful to note that when you open a shelf, it will show your status of each book. This is a strong visual cue as to whether the book is on your own shelf. Books are generally marked by a green "want to read" button, but if they are on your shelf, the button is grey and will indicate whether it is "read" or "want to read." This makes it easy to quickly skim through the list!
How can I participate in Play Book Tag?There are many opportunities to participate in Play Book Tag, but there are pretty much no requirements.
From the least commitment to the most commitment, here are some of the ways you may participate:
1) You may simply join in our general book discussions if you've got something to say about books. You will find reviews by our members in the folders for books that fit the monthly tag and books that do not fit the monthly tag.
2) You may read a book with us that fits the monthly tag. This is the way most Play Book Tag members participate. They select a book that fits the tag for the month and read it!
3) You may read a book that fits the tag and share your rating and review of the book. Many, many of our members do this. We always have a monthly discussion folder entitled something similar to January 2018: science (the month and shelf changes each month but the format stays the same). As people read books for the shelf, they tell us what they've read and give it a 1 to 5 star rating. We then welcome you to add your book to the group bookshelf following the shelving guidelines.
4) You may try one of our challenges. Every year we have at least one or two challenges for our members. Some members like to track all of the reading challenges that they do, here, at PBT.
5) You may participate in our larger and longer term games. These usually require advanced signup and significant commitment on the part of the players. These opportunities come up less frequently.
Is there a minimum number of books I must read to be a member of Play Book Tag?Absolutely not! We welcome any and all levels of commitment. I will say that we have some member who are very prolific readers who will read more than 10 books that fit the tag.
And then there's folks like me . . .lucky to finish ONE!!
Can I read a book that another person is reading for the shelf?Absolutely! You may read any book that appeals to you and that fits the shelf.
How do I know if my book fits the shelf?Each book on ŷ has its own page that you can get to when you click on the book cover or title. You can see an example of that page by clicking on any book on your shelf.
If you scroll down a little, you can see a list of the genres that are most commonly used to describe that particular book. Then, you can click on See Top Shelves and you will see a list of all of the shelves that are used for that book in order of most popular to least popular as well as how many people used that specific shelf.
So, let's say our tag was mystery. You'd go to the detail page for the book in question, and scroll to the genres on the right hand side below some of the ads. Then, click on the top shelves link to see list of shelves that are most commonly used to describe the book and see if "mystery" is used on the first page of displayed shelves. If it is on the first page, it is likely that the book fits the tag of mystery. If you want to be very certain, make sure at least 10 readers have tagged it as "mystery".
What tags have you done in the past?Our group first started in February 2008 on Shelfari and then moved to ŷ in February 2016, so we have used many tags!
We have a rule that once a tag is used, it may not be used again for three years. Because we have been around for 8 years, we have reused some of the tags.
I read a book for the monthly shelf. How do I get it on the group bookshelf?Please see the thread Guidelines for Using the Group Shelf for instructions on what books to shelve and how to do so.
We reserve the right to remove or edit improperly added/tagged books on the PBT group bookshelf.
If you have any questions, please contact our wonderful librarian, LibraryCin, who manages our bookshelf.
What are participation points?Everyone in the group is eligible to earn "participation points".
The main way people earn participation points is by reading and posting book reviews. You receive 2 points for every review that fits our monthly tag and 1 point for every review that does not.
We also award them to people who participate in our games and activities, generally as prizes, but sometimes just for participating.
Each participation point may be used to cast votes for our tag each month. So if you accumulate participation points, you may cast up to 10 votes (instead of 1) for the tag of your choice. Or you may save them up and continue to accumulate them.
We may also offer other items or privileges from time to time in exchange for your participation points.
Each month when we announce the voting for the monthly tag, we will include a link to a spreadsheet with the most up-to-date participation points for all members. You can also see current participation points
This is our way of saying thank you and rewarding those members who keep this group fun and hopping!!
What is the raffle and how can I win it?Every month we hold a raffle for a $15 Amazon gift card.
To enter the raffle you must read a book that fits the tag for the month and then write a review of it. Please create a thread with your review and post it in the appropriate folder in our discussion board.
For each book you read that fits the tag, you will get one entry into the raffle.
What are PBT Footnotes?PBT Footnotes is an annual folder where you can post any small book-related tidbit that you want to share with the rest of the membership.
Typical postings range from a notification of a sale on a particular title to a book-related news announcement to cool book-related links.
Basically, if it is book-related, and you want to share it, PBT Footnotes are the place!!
What challenges are we doing in 2019?We have two challenges this year, as voted on by you!
Trim the TBR
Each person compiles a list of 36 books from their TBR and, each month, the admins will use the random number generator to select one book for the PBTer to read. But, we have several different points categories below, so you can be strategic with what you put on the list!
Each month, we will award points as follows. These points are cumulative so, for example, if I read a book that happens to fit the tag and it is the longest of the month then I would get 3+2+5 points for a total of 10, not to mention the 2 points I get if I post my review in the Monthly Tag folder!
� Read your book - 3 points
� Your completed book happens to fit the tag (must be tagged as such on GR) - 2 points (plus you'll get an additional 2 for posting your review in the Monthly Tag folder)
� Read the longest book among all people who completed their randomly assigned book in any given month - 5 points
� Read the most pages in any quarter (up to 3 books total and quarters are Jan-Mar, April-June, Jul-Sept, and Oct-Dec) - 25 points
� Read the most pages for the whole year (up to 12 books total) - 100 points
� Read the most books that fit a tag for the year - 25 points (totally random luck, but still fun!)
We will start a reporting thread each month for you to post your review (or a link to your review) when you complete the book assigned for that month. I will announce the random number assigned on the first of each month for everyone to read.
Don’t finish your book in the month assigned? You can still read it for the 3 points, but you will not be eligible for points if “your completed book fits the monthly tag� or if you “read the longest book in any given month.� You may still be eligible for the “most pages in any quarter,� but you may only count books that are assigned in and you complete in that quarter. Let me know if that is not clear and I will come up with some examples!
Worried that you may need to swap out some books on your list as the year progresses? We will have one week in the middle of the year where you can switch out up to six books on your list whose number has not been assigned. We will not allow other substitutions, so make sure the books on your list are ones you can easily get your hands on!
Expanding Our PBT Horizons
Read 12 books about other cultures. Ideally, these should be written by someone who lives/has lived in that culture and provides insight into what life/society is like in a place other than in our own little bubbles. Books can be fiction or nonfiction, but the goal is to have them be a real reflection of the culture and not fantasy/dystopia (though I love those genres!).
As an added element, PBTers can nominate up to three cultures that they would like to read. We will throw them all into the proverbial hat and will select a focus culture each month. Think about your cultures and I will be opening a thread before too long for nominations. More than one person can nominate a culture and each time it is nominated it will get a separate entry into the “hat.� However, once a culture is selected, it is not eligible to be selected again.
It is not required that you read from that specific culture that month, but we encourage people to do so if they would like to have a more robust discussion around a specific culture! There will be a reporting thread each month for this challenge where you can put all of your reviews, and we will have you note at the start which culture it covers, even if it is not the monthly bonus culture.
Is 12 books unrealistic for you? (I know it would be for me!) Then, pick a goal that is reasonable for you.
You will receive one Participation Point per book with a cap of 12, plus a second point for each book that matches the monthly culture! So, be strategic as you read and review these books! If you read and report 12 books in, say, 6 months, then you will have hit your cap and not be eligible for other monthly bonus reads!
What challenges are we doing in 2018?
We have a year-long challenge this year in honor of PBT's 10th Anniversary�the PBT Decathlon!
Each month from January through October, we will be posting one event (challenge) for you to complete during that month. If you complete the event during the assigned month and post your review, you will receive 5 entries into a raffle.
If you do not complete the event during the assigned month, you can complete it during any of the subsequent months up through October. Once you post your review, you will receive 3 entries into a raffle for each challenge.
After October ends, if you still have a few lingering events, you will have until November 25th to complete the remaining events. Once you post your review you will receive 1 entry into a raffle.
If you cannot get to all ten events, that is perfectly fine! Do the ones you are able/want to complete and you will earn raffle entries for those. Of course, the more entries you have the better your chances at winning a prize are, but even one entry gives you a chance!
Then, we will hold the raffle in early December and announce first, second, and third place winners! What is the prize, you ask? Well, we are still working it out but in honor of a decade of fun and friendships on PBT, it will be worthwhile!
For more details including how to report your reads, check out the Decathlon announcement thread.
The second challenge was vote on by you�the Listopia Challenge!
Pick one ŷ Listopia list (/list) from which you will read 6 or more books. Administrators will award extra participation points on a per book basis for lists best fit the following categories. Members will vote on the lists to determine which lists win each category at the end of the year.
a) Most interesting list (10 points per book)
b) Hardest list to read (20 points per book)
c) List we least expected the particular member to choose (10 points per book)
You must select your list in January, and then if it happens to fit a PBT monthly tag at some point during the year, you will get 5 bonus participation points for each book you read on your list during that month.
You only get participation points for this challenge if you either win a category at the end of the year or your Listopia list happens to also fit the monthly tag.
For more details, please visit the Listopia instructions thread.
What challenges are we doing in 2017?
We have two challenges again this year, as voted on by you!
Hitting the PBT High Notes
Read one book from each of the PBT Annual PBT Top 10 lists (which are linked too in the thread above). If there are honorable mentions included, they do not count toward this challenge. If you have read all of the Top 10 books in a given year, then you may read a book off either the Honorable Mentions List (if there is one) or a book off one of the PBT Top 100 lists. You can find the PBT Top 100 lists on our group bookshelf.
Climbing the PBT Stairs
Every PBTer who wants to participate will have a "staircase" of 5 stairs and each stair will have a tag associated with it. For the first stair, you will read one book that fits that tag; for the second stair, two books that fit that tag; for the third stair, three books; etc. Books cannot be used to double-dip on two difference stairs, so this challenge will require reading a total of 15 books. More instructions and examples included in the thread linked to above!
What challenges are we doing in 2016?
We have two great challenges going on this year:
PBT Nonfiction 100 is a modification of a group favorite! Each PBT member was asked to submit 10 books to us that they felt are must reads for everyone. Anita then made a master list of the 100 most popular books. Your goal is then to read 12 books off that list over the course of the year.
You can find the list on our group bookshelf PBT 100 Nonfiction.
We will also start a group challenge so you can track your progress soon.
Shelfagories is a new game our members voted to try! The goal is to read 12 books found on the . A single book can be used for up to two categories. Need more of a challenge? Read the whole list!
Books that you read for either of our 2016 PBT Challenges can be added to our PBT group bookshelf following the Guidelines for Using the Group Shelf.
How do I post reviews to the monthly folders?Please review any book you read whether it fits the monthly tag or not, being sure to post it in the appropriate folder, with each review being a separate thread.
Please title the thread with the name of the book and how many stars you'd give it (1 to 5 stars, 5 being best).
Need an example of a review? Here's one from January 2016.
How do I "file" my review in the correct folder?
You can "file" a book review for participation points using two different methods.
1) From the PBT homepage, click on the folder where your review will go. For example, if I am posting a review for an autobiography I read in March, then I would click on the folder "March 2018: Autobiography." That takes you into the folder where you will see a lot of different threads posted, starting with "Directions for Posting a Review." Then, at the top of that list on the right hand side, it says "new topic." Click that and it takes you to a place to write a review. Once you have it done and you save it, it will automatically be filed in that folder.
2) From the PBT homepage below the general information and just above where the threads all start, there is the label "Discussion Threads." Follow that over to the right and there are a few small links, one of which says "new." If you click that, then it take you to a place to write a review. BUT, if you do it this way, then below the line of the topic, you will see the label "folder" with a drop down arrow. Click that arrow and a list of all of the PBT folders will show. Simply select the folder where you want your review to go and when you save it, that is where it will be filed. The folders for each month are always at the top of that list so you can easily find them.
Remember that if you read a book that fits the monthly tag, write a review, and file it in that folder, then you get 2 participation points for each review.
If you read a book that does not fit the monthly tag, we still want to hear about it! Write your review and file it in the monthly "Other books" folder (for example, "March 2018: other books") and you will get 1 participation point per review.
Is there a list available of the Top 200 Shelves now that we've moved. Yes, I know I can look at the most popular shelves and I can count the top 200 ... but I don't know how you're treating "duplicates" or the odd shelves (like the old Shelfari tag "**")
Moke wrote: "Do Audio Books count? (Sorry if this is answered somewhere else and I missed it.)"Great question, and yes, we definitely permit audio books. In fact, assume all audio books are permitted for games, contests, anything unless we specifically specify otherwise!
Book Concierge wrote: "Is there a list available of the Top 200 Shelves now that we've moved. Yes, I know I can look at the most popular shelves and I can count the top 200 ... but I don't know how you're treating "dupli..."Yes, one of our members kindly created a link and posted it in Google Drive. I foresee updating this regularly, but will use it for the first quarter for sure.
UPDATE: The new list for 2018 is located here:
Anita wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "Is there a list available of the Top 200 Shelves now that we've moved. Yes, I know I can look at the most popular shelves and I can count the top 200 ... but I don't know how..."What, no Twilight or Harry Potter. However, there was Star Wars.
Not sure where this question might fit, but how does one make text bold or italics? And how does one create a link to a book?
Hahtoolah wrote: "Not sure where this question might fit, but how does one make text bold or italics? And how does one create a link to a book?"When you write a message above the box you'll see two hyperlinks labeled "add book/author" and "(some html is ok)." Click the first one and it opens up a box where you can type the name of the book and it will add the link to your message. Click the second one and you'll see the html allowed including the code for italics and bold. You just put the text you want to bold or italicize in the middle of the brackets - you can click the link to see which brackets you need to use.
That was very helpful as the bold/italics button on the virtual keyboard does not work!
thank you, Jen. I will test this out /i>.
AJ wrote: "Do you still have a way to buy Amazon books in a way that you guys get some of the proceeds?"That's so kind of you to ask. The link on Shelfari still works, and I will post it. Unfortunately, we get SO little now that I almost feel it isn't worth the time to ask people to do it, but if anyone wants to, of course any money is better than no money, and it all gets plowed back into PBT prizes.
Just click on the "powered by Amazon" logo in the upper left hand corner to shop the ENTIRE Amazon site. I don't really update the store itself . . .
Anita wrote: "AJ wrote: "Do you still have a way to buy Amazon books in a way that you guys get some of the proceeds?"That's so kind of you to ask. The link on Shelfari still works, and I will post it. Unfortu..."
Do you think you'll have a way to do this on GR? Heard anything about the possibility?
Barbara wrote: "Do you think you'll have a way to do this on GR?" The money earning link is a feature of Amazon - - not Shelfari, not GoodReads. So it still works. They've just cut back on the amounts they will pay you, especially for customers who try to buy through the link repeatedly. So the amount we've been getting is just shrinking more and more.
Anita wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Do you think you'll have a way to do this on GR?" The money earning link is a feature of Amazon - - not Shelfari, not GoodReads. So it still works. They've just cut back on the am..."
So, perhaps new members will help boost it, then, when they use it for the first time.
Barbara wrote: "How can we use it on GoodReads?"Just click on the link I posted in message 28. Then, you will see a teeny tiny "powered by Amazon" logo in the upper left hand corner - - click on it, and you can shop all of Amazon. Whatever you buy, we will get a little bit of it!
Thank you!!
Anita wrote: "Barbara wrote: "How can we use it on GoodReads?"Just click on the link I posted in message 28. Then, you will see a teeny tiny "powered by Amazon" logo in the upper left hand corner - - click on ..."
Sorry! Looks like I missed message 28! Got it now and bookmarked it.
Anita wrote: "Barbara wrote: "How can we use it on GoodReads?"Just click on the link I posted in message 28. Then, you will see a teeny tiny "powered by Amazon" logo in the upper left hand corner - - click on ..."
That's better than the old one; it didn't let me buy just anything.
Anita wrote: "Barbara wrote: "How can we use it on GoodReads?"Just click on the link I posted in message 28. Then, you will see a teeny tiny "powered by Amazon" logo in the upper left hand corner - - click on ..."
I'm wondering if we could possibly have an entire thread for this topic, so we can easily find the link.
I shop a lot on Amazon and regrettably never through this group. I would like to be sure that when I shop it can benefit PBT, but I am a bit lazy.
Booknblues wrote: "Anita wrote: "Barbara wrote: "How can we use it on GoodReads?"Just click on the link I posted in message 28. Then, you will see a teeny tiny "powered by Amazon" logo in the upper left hand corner..."
I will post the link somewhere more prominent . . .need to figure out where that can be!
Thanks for wanting to support PBT!!
Anita wrote: "I will post the link somewhere more prominent . . .need to figure out where that can be!..."How about a new topic thread - PBT Store on Amazon - which you "pin" to the top of THIS folder? Put the link in the first message, and voila!
Book Concierge wrote: "Anita wrote: "I will post the link somewhere more prominent . . .need to figure out where that can be!..."How about a new topic thread - PBT Store on Amazon - which you "pin" to the top of THIS f..."
That's a good idea!
What is bibliophage crushers activity? I see the thread for posting the lists but no explanation in top post? Thanks
Megalion wrote: "What is bibliophage crushers activity? I see the thread for posting the lists but no explanation in top post? Thanks"They are one of the two PBT baseball teams. The other is No Crying in Baseball.
Can more than one book from the same author count for points in the monthly challenge? For instance, this month is "female author" and I read two books by Janet Evanovich. Will both of those count?
Yes Gina, both of those would count.
Gina wrote: "Can more than one book from the same author count for points in the monthly challenge? For instance, this month is "female author" and I read two books by Janet Evanovich. Will both of those count?"As long as you post a review for each of them!
Question: If I am currently reading a book that another member has already posted for the "female author" theme, do I still create a new, separate topic for the same book? For example, Out of Africa has already been posted by Elizabeth, so would I then post my review of the same book in a new topic or within Elizabeth's existing one? My apologies if this question has already been answered.
❁Lisa Ann� wrote: "Question: If I am currently reading a book that another member has already posted for the "female author" theme, do I still create a new, separate topic for the same book?"Yes, create a separate topic. There are usually a few books that have several reviews since we get our book ideas from each other!
I have a question about posting a review for the monthly tag. I finished Nimona about 2 days ago (I started and finished it the same day). It's tagged fantasy and fits the tag. However, I did not read it in June I technically read it at the end of May. Can I put it in under the Fantasy tag this month or must it go in under other? I started it after reading what the winning tag was but I couldn't wait and turns out I read it super quickly.
Jen wrote: "I have a question about posting a review for the monthly tag. I finished Nimona about 2 days ago (I started and finished it the same day). It's tagged fantasy and fits the tag. However, I did not..."
Since this is just for the monthly tag and you started it after learning the tag, then I think it is fine for you to put your review in the June monthly tag folder.
Of course, this would not be the case if we were playing some kind of game or hosting an official challenge.
Jen wrote: "I have a question about posting a review for the monthly tag. I finished Nimona about 2 days ago (I started and finished it the same day). It's tagged fantasy and fits the tag. However, I did not..."
Our members are so honest and forthcoming! Your intent was to read it for June, so I agree 100% with Nicole's response.
I do have some questions about the giveaways on here. I haven't won any yet. I have tried multiple strategies on winning and still nothing that seems to show that I am improving. Any ideas on how to improve my chances of winning giveaways?
Brandon wrote: "I do have some questions about the giveaways on here. I haven't won any yet. I have tried multiple strategies on winning and still nothing that seems to show that I am improving. Any ideas on how t..."Seeing as I also enter many giveaways to no avail, I have no helpful advice. But, I keep entering!!
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
All the Light We Cannot See (other topics)The Silence of the Girls (other topics)
The Peacock and the Sparrow (other topics)
All the Sinners Bleed (other topics)
The Alchemist (other topics)
More...
Play Book Tag is fast-paced and can be a bit confusing for new visitors. So this discussion thread is devoted to answering commonly asked questions about Play Book Tag.
Our administrators are here to help and are happy to answer any questions you have that we may not have covered here.
Please feel free to add your questions to the list!