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Book Club User Guide

Welcome to the Book Club application! This comprehensive guide will help you navigate all the features available to make your book club experience enjoyable and productive.

Getting Started

Creating an Account

  1. Register: Click "Register" on the homepage
  2. Fill in Details:
    • Enter your name, email, and password
    • Choose to create a new group or join an existing one
    • If creating a new group, provide a group name and estimated number of members
    • Select book club recommendations to add to your group (optional)
    • Agree to the terms and conditions
  3. Verify Email: Check your inbox for a verification email and click the link to verify your account
  4. Access User Guide: After registration, visit the User Guide by clicking "User Guide" in the navigation menu to learn about all features

Logging In

  1. Login: Click "Login" on the homepage
  2. Enter Credentials: Provide your email and password
  3. Alternative: Use "Login with Google" for a faster login experience

Managing Your Profile

  1. Access Profile: Click on your name in the navigation menu, then select "Profile"
  2. Update Information:
    • Change your display name
    • Select a different avatar
    • Add your Hardcover handle (if you use Hardcover)
  3. Hardcover Integration: Hardcover is a book tracking platform that offers community-driven ratings, reviews, and tags for books. By adding your Hardcover handle to your profile, you can:
    • See Hardcover ratings alongside other book information
    • Access detailed ratings distributions for books in your collection
    • Benefit from community tags and recommendations based on Hardcover data
  4. Change Password: Use the password change form on the profile page
  5. Delete Account: If needed, you can delete your account from the profile page

Groups

Creating a Group

  1. During Registration: You can create a group during the registration process
  2. From Contact Page: Alternatively, visit the "Contact" page to request a new group

Joining a Group

  1. Via Invite Link: Click on an invite link sent by a group member
  2. During Registration: Enter a group ID when registering
  3. From Groups Page: Click "Join Group" and enter the group ID

Managing Groups

  1. View Group: Click "Groups" in the navigation menu
  2. Group Settings:
    • Rename your group (admin only)
    • Select book club recommendations for your group
  3. Switch Groups: If you belong to multiple groups, use the "Switch Group" option
  4. Leave Group: Use the "Leave Group" button to exit a group

Books

Adding a New Book

  1. Navigate to Books: Click on "Books" in the navigation menu
  2. Add Book: Click the "Add Book" button
  3. Fill in Details:
    • Enter the book title (required)
    • Enter the author name (required)
    • Optionally add an external link (e.g., Goodreads, Amazon)
    • Optionally set a rating (0-5 stars)
  4. Find URL: Use the "Find URL" button to search for book information online
  5. Submit: Click the "Add Book" button to save the book to your club's collection

Viewing Books

  1. Navigate to Books: Click on "Books" in the navigation menu
  2. Browse Collection: View all books in your club's collection
  3. Sort Options: Books are sorted by scheduled meetings first, then by a combination of votes and ratings
  4. Book Details: Click on a book title to view detailed information

Voting on a Book

  1. Navigate to Books: Click on "Books" in the navigation menu
  2. Find a Book: Browse the list of books in your club's collection
  3. Vote Options:
    • Option 1: Click the "Vote" button directly from the book list
    • Option 2: Click on a book title to view details, then click the "Vote for This Book" button
  4. Confirmation: You'll see a confirmation message and the vote count for the book will increase
  5. Note: You can only vote once for each book. After voting, the button will be disabled and show "You've Voted"

Book Details

  1. View Details: Click on a book title to see detailed information
  2. Available Information:
    • Book cover
    • Title and author
    • Rating
    • External links
    • Book summary (if available)
    • Discussion questions (if generated)
  3. Actions:
    • Edit or delete books you've added
    • Generate a summary if none exists
    • Generate discussion questions for meetings
    • View similar book recommendations
    • Fetch additional book information from Amazon

Bookmarking Books

  1. What are Bookmarks?: Bookmarks are your personal favorites - books you want to remember and potentially recommend to others. Unlike your group's collection, bookmarks are private to you.
  2. Adding Bookmarks:
    • When viewing a book's details page, look for the bookmark icon (📖) in the top-right corner
    • Click the bookmark icon to add the book to your personal favorites
    • The icon will change to indicate the book is bookmarked
    • Hover over the icon to see the tooltip: "Save to your own favourites"
  3. Viewing Your Bookmarks:
    • Go to your Profile page and click "View Favourites"
    • Or visit the Recommendations page and click on the "Your Favorites" card
    • Your bookmarked books will be displayed in a list format
  4. Managing Bookmarks:
    • To remove a bookmark, click the bookmark icon again on the book's details page
    • Your bookmarks are automatically organized by when you added them
    • You can add books to your group's collection directly from your bookmarks list

Book Recommendations

  1. Access Recommendations: Click on "Recommendations" in the navigation menu
  2. Types of Recommendations:
    • Your Favorites - Your personal bookmarked books
    • Curated book club recommendations
    • Personalized recommendations based on your collection
  3. View Recommendation: Click on a recommendation to see all books in that category
  4. Add to Collection: Click "Add to Collection" on any recommended book to add it to your group's books

Meetings

Creating a Meeting

  1. Navigate to Meetings: Click on "Meetings" in the navigation menu
  2. Add Meeting: Click the "Add Meeting" button
  3. Fill in Details:
    • Select a book (optional)
    • Set a date and time (optional - can be determined later based on availability)
    • Add meeting notes or a meeting URL (optional)
    • Select a host (optional)
  4. Submit: Click the "Add Meeting" button to create the meeting

Adding Availability for Meetings

  1. Navigate to Meetings: Click on "Meetings" in the navigation menu
  2. Select a Meeting: Click on a meeting that needs availability information
  3. Update Availability: Click the "Update Availability" button
  4. Select Dates:
    • Navigate between months using the "Previous" and "Next" buttons
    • Click on all dates when you would be available to attend
    • Selected dates will be highlighted
    • You can see how many other members have selected each date
  5. Save: Click the "Save Availability" button to submit your availability
  6. Result: The system will use everyone's availability to suggest optimal meeting dates

Managing Meetings

  1. View Meeting: Click on a meeting to see details
  2. Edit Meeting: Click "Edit Meeting" to update details
  3. Select Book: Choose a book for the meeting
    • Option 1: Manually select a book
    • Option 2: Use "Suggest Book" to get a recommendation based on votes and ratings
    • Option 3: Use "Random Book" to select a book randomly
  4. Set Date: Choose a date from the optimal dates suggested based on member availability
  5. Send Notifications: Use the "Send Email" button to notify all members about the meeting
  6. Generate Discussion Questions: Click "Generate Discussion Questions" to create talking points for the meeting
  7. Track Attendance: After a meeting, record which members attended

Additional Features

Avatars

An avatar is a small profile picture or icon that represents you throughout the application, helping other members easily identify your contributions and activities.

  1. Select Avatar: Choose from available avatars on your profile page
  2. View Member Avatars: See avatars next to member names throughout the application

Book Recommendations

  1. Curated Lists: Browse curated book recommendations from various genres and themes
  2. Collection-Based: Get personalized recommendations based on books in your collection
  3. Similar Books: View books similar to ones you've already added
  4. Generate Recommendations: Click "Generate Recommendations" on the collection recommendations page to refresh suggestions

Book Information

  1. Book Covers: The system automatically fetches book covers when available
  2. Ratings: View ratings from Google Books and Hardcover (when available)
  3. Summaries: Generate or view book summaries
  4. Discussion Questions: Generate discussion questions for meetings

Calendar Integration

  1. Meeting Calendar: Download calendar files (.ics) for meetings to add to your personal calendar
  2. Availability Calendar: Use the availability calendar to indicate when you can attend meetings

Tips

  • Books with higher ratings and more votes have a higher chance of being selected for meetings
  • You can update your availability for a meeting at any time
  • The calendar shows how many other members have selected each date, helping coordinate the best meeting time
  • You can edit or delete books you've added by viewing the book details
  • Use the "Copy Availability" feature to copy member availability from one meeting to another
  • Check the "Recommendations" page regularly for new book ideas
  • Use the search function to find specific books in your collection or in recommendations