What is iRead?

According to Facebook, iRead is the largest and most popular book application on the social networking site. Basically, it’s a way to show friends what books you are reading, what you “wanna” read and what you have read. You can also compare your tastes with other members and see what your friends are reading. The application also has a section where you can write reviews of the books you have read and check out other reviews for books you may be interested in.

In a Nutshell

This app, which has 2.8 million books listed so far, is great if you’re looking for a new book to read or trying to find out which books to steer clear of.

Setting it All Up

Installation was very easy. iRead can be found in the “Education” and “Utility” categories on the main application page. After you’ve installed iRead, you are brought to an application home page. To find books, enter titles into the large search bar at the top of the page. This page also allows you to browse the books your friends are reading, edit your profile, invite friends and add books to your library.

Origin of the Application

iRead was created by uGenie.

Where can you find this Facebook application?

http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?api_key=531b1bc6042f83bf7f1243a9c50c1e07

Facebook Usage Statistics

iRead has 158, 060 total users on Facebook.

Pros

The application is very useful if you know what book you are searching for or want to browse popular books. It is easy to use and has a huge selection of books, from Harry Potter to The Great Gatsby to Chuck Norris: A Real-Life Reader Biography. When you view iRead from your profile, you see small pictures of the books you are currently reading. There are also fun features at the bottom of the app that allow you to take a fantasy quiz, perform an international search or import books.

Cons

Unfortunately, iRead is competing with many other book applications on Facebook. Only one of my friends has iRead, limiting my ability to browse new books I might be interested in. I think it would be beneficial to add a genre search option to the application. That would enable users to browse their literary preferences more efficiently.

Summary

The usefulness of iRead depends on your reading habits. If you like to read and are eager to find new and interesting books, iRead can help by providing an easy way to search and browse. If you don’t have friends with iRead, however, your experience will be slightly less enjoyable.

Overall Rating

3.5/5