Startup of the Week - Ownshelf
by Startacus Admin
When you think about the last 
book that you read, chances are that it was recommended to you by someone - perhaps a friend read it first and suggested you read it too. It was once the done thing when in a friend’s house to take a look at their bookshelves and then if a particular book took your fancy, ask if you could borrow it. Of course with the rise in popularity of e-readers, such things tend not to happen any more. However, thanks to this week’s Startup of the Week, that could all change.
Ownshelf is a cloud based bookshelf which allows you to store and share your ebooks across devices.
Currently still in beta, Ownshelf allows users to let friends see each others’ digital bookshelves and borrow and lend books from them.
Basically a user can upload any epub ebook to their shelf and this can be accessed by their select group of personal friends. Since the Ownshelf tool is accessed through Facebook, it is easy to see which of your friends are using it and what books they have uploaded or added to their own shelf. The addition of this social sharing element is what helps make Ownshelf unique.
Also, although other platforms such as Kindle and Nook do allow their users to ‘lend’ books, this is generally only for a defined limited time period and there are no such restrictions with Ownshelf. The only real restriction currently is the type of books that can be shared - all books must be free to share i.e. freely in the public domain or freely available under a Creative Commons licence. This restriction is not however a bad thing, since it has the content creator’s interests at heart and is protecting their copyright and related rights.
There can be no denying that the e-reader is here to stay and is bound to help spawn a plethora of innovative startups like this one. At the end of the day, if ereaders and services like Ownshelf encourage more of us to read, that can only be a good thing - something I’m sure even the most ardent traditionalist would have to agree with.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Not having the right team is a common reason why startups fail. Here are some of the key personalities and soft skills you'll need in your team.
A look at some of the reasons why employee training is so essential for SMBs...
.jpeg)
With the impact of BREXIT still very much an uncertainty, our evening event at Startup Week Dublin will explore startup collaboration and opportunities between NI and Ireland.
There are some ways that you can make your start-up stand out, including...
Tech startups focused on smart buildings and cities, smart grid, construction tech, predictive maintenance, and other tech solutions - take note!
The fintech startup that's on a mission to help the people of Zambia manage their finances...
The traveltech startup that provides self-guided trails crafted by their community of local insiders
BT and the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) have launched the third annual competition for startups in telecom infrastructure
Tech startups building solutions relevant to the UK aerospace industry - take note! Innovative Tech Startups are sought for the ATI Boeing Accelerator.
Kaleidoscope is a new podcast focused on innovation. Now, we take a closer look at collaboration through the lens of location and property innovation.
Published on: 2nd January 2013
.png)
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Event at Startup Week Dublin to explore startup collaboration between NI and Ireland 11th Oct 2019 With the impact of BREXIT still very much an uncertainty, our evening event at Startup Week Dublin will explore startup collaboration and opportunities between NI and Ireland.
- Startups shaping future of the smart built environment wanted for RElab programme 8th Oct 2019 Tech startups focused on smart buildings and cities, smart grid, construction tech, predictive maintenance, and other tech solutions - take note!
- Tech startups in telecom infrastructure sought for BT run competition 3rd Oct 2019 BT and the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) have launched the third annual competition for startups in telecom infrastructure
- Innovative Tech Startups sought for the ATI Boeing Accelerator 3rd Oct 2019 Tech startups building solutions relevant to the UK aerospace industry - take note! Innovative Tech Startups are sought for the ATI Boeing Accelerator.
