How to Start an Online Book Club

An online book club is a great way to discuss your favorite books, stay connected with family and friends, meet new people, and continue the discussion long after your book club meeting has ended. And starting your own online book club is easier than you think! Through Borders' new partnership with Gather.com, setting up your online book club on Gather.com can be completed in just a few minutes. Just follow these simple steps, and you'll be up and running in no time.

Step 1: Join Gather.com

Joining Gather is easy - and it's free. Just go to the Gather homepage by clicking here. Then click on the orange button that reads "Join Today - It's FREE!" Fill out the simple registration form, and click the orange button at the bottom of the page. Your username and password will be used to log in when you return to the site.

Step 2: Create Your Own Book Club Group

To create your online book club, you'll first need to create a group on Gather.com. Your Gather group will be your meeting space on Gather where you and your friends can publish book reviews, discuss your favorite books, and determine what club members will read next. Create your group by clicking here.

On the group setup form, you'll be asked to create a name for your group (e.g., Susan's Book Club), provide a brief description, and create your own URL for the group. You can even load a group header and icon to help brand your group and give it a personality of its own! You can also specify whether your group is public or private. A public group will allow any Gather member to join. If you make your group private, only those you invite will be able to join. As the group owner, you can change your group settings at any time. Once you click the submit button at the bottom of the form, your group will be created. It's as simple as that!

Step 3:  Invite Friends and Family Members to Join Your Book Club

Now that you've created your online book club, you'll be prompted to invite people to join your group. You can invite family and friends by simply typing their email addresses in the spaces provided. You can also include a message to tell people about your new online book club and invite them to join. As the group owner, you can invite others to join your group at any time.

Step 4:  Start the Conversation!

You can always reach your group by typing its URL into your browser. It will be of the form: groupusername.gather.com. Within your group, your friends will be able to publish articles and images and engage in discussions by commenting on each other's content. When you're publishing an article or image, you have the option to publish it to any group you belong to on Gather. Simply check the box next to the group (or groups) where you'd like to publish your content.

Within your online book club, you and your members can discuss your current book club selection and plan future reading lists. And your members can be from across the street, across town, or across the country. Having your book club online allows people to participate at their own pace and on their own schedule.

To help make your book club a success, Borders will continuously publish Tips & Tricks for managing your online book clubs on Gather.com. You'll find this helpful information, as well as other exciting programs at bordersbookclub.gather.com. Within the Borders Book Club group, you can also engage directly in stimulating conversations with some of your favorite authors! Check back often to see who's appearing each month. Gather.com has a lot of other exciting features to help make your online book club a success. To learn more about using Gather.com, check out their FAQs.