01.jpgIf we need evidence of the central role the digital world is taking in our modern lives, we need look no further than social networking. In a very short time, updating Facebook profiles and Tweet streams have become a pivotal part of everyday life for many millions of people. Even our literary preferences are beginning to lean more towards the digital, with Amazon recently announcing that the sale of digitized books had overtaken the sale of printed versions. The Copia platform brings both of these activities together in one place, offering members a new way discover, share and purchase books, newspapers andmagazines.
In addition to providing an online bookstore, the Copia platform allows members to annotate, highlight, make notes or otherwise draw attention to passages of particular relevance or importance in books they are reading. Those can then be shared with friends, family and colleagues via linked social networking profiles – like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn – or to the wider Copia Community.
Users can comment on entries made by other users, making books that can then exist as both an original work and as an annotated, highlighted and commented shared experience. Unlike other collaborative e-Reading approaches, the Copia platform also allows anyone who prefers to read paper versions of books to join in with community discussions.
The Copia tailors the search for content towards providing a real-world experience, with members being able to search for content based on user ratings, tags, popularity, price, genre and so on. Results are displayed on a dynamic content page, which is said to offer users the chance to compare lots of titles in one place.
The layout offers toggling between list and expanded views, with the latter showing reader ratings and reviews to help users make a more informed reading choice. Members can also join or create virtual book clubs to further discuss content with those who share common interests.
Students might find the collaborative note-sharing particularly useful, giving them the chance to remotely work on a project with others, or allowing tutors to add notes and highlight relevant passages for all the class to see. The Copia also allows authors to interact directly with their readers through communitydiscussions or by making their notes and thoughts available.
Developers can benefit from the Copia platform via an integrated software application engine which allows them to deliver content across the numerous digital media readers currently available
