.gif)
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.
Pitching your startup on stage can be tough going indeed - but here’s some startup pitch inspiration to keep all prospective 'startup pitchers' going!
This is the privacy policy of Startacus, trading as The Employable. In this document, "we", "our", or "us" refer to Startacus, trading as The Employable. We are company number NI609106, registered in N. Ireland. Our office is...
Dog owners this is for you - the online platform and app which “helps dogs and their owners enjoy life”!
A quick look at a handful of key London Tech Week 2018 events, with some, but not exclusive focus on what startups and scale-ups might want to see.
Startups can apply for a free .TECH domain if they apply to pitch their startup at upSTART 18, the UK startup pitch competition
Perhaps the biggest trend from this year’s Sunday Times Rich List is the continued rise of the self-made entrepreneur, as opposed to the heir or heiress.
We spoke with Heather Stratford, CEO at Stronger.tech, who suggested cyber security training is now a must for all employees...
Leading UK based equity crowdfunding platform Seedrs sponsors Digital DNA startup pitch competition upSTART
Fab opportunity for startups wishing to exhibit at the upcoming Digital DNA event...
Cluttr - the innovative app that enables house-sharers to manage bills, chores and shopping in a much easier way.
Published on: 2nd January 2013
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Countdown begins for startup pitch competition at Digital DNA 2018 14th May 2018 The countdown has begun for upSTART 2018, the UK startup pitch competition, which will take place at next month’s Digital DNA at St. George’s Market in Belfast.
- BMW Group Financial Services launches 10 week Collaboration Lab 9th May 2018 BMW Group Financial Services Collaboration Lab are looking to collaborate with a number of innovative tech startups and entrepreneurs during a ten week programme in Columbus, Ohio, USA.
- Oracle Startup Cloud Accelerator reimagines enterprise innovation - one startup at a time 23rd Apr 2018 Oracle’s Startup Cloud Accelerator focuses on reimagining enterprise innovation through partnerships with startups. We took a look at all the details...
- Diversifying Entrepreneurship in London - The Power of 25 20th Apr 2018 Last week, Hatch Enterprise and YSYS brought 25 women-of-colour entrepreneurs together, to discuss diversifying entrepreneurship in London...
