Profile box

How can I add a profile box to the my Wall?

  • Go to Facebook’s Edit Applications page
  • In the “Displaying:” list of link, click on the “Authorized” link
  • In the list of applications, click on the “Edit” link in the “Visual Bookshelf” row
  • In the “Edit Visual Bookshelf” window, click on the 'Profile' tab
  • Next to “Box' status text, click “Add'
  • Click 'Okay' to save these changes
  • Go to Your Facebook Profile. Click the 'Boxes' tab.
  • Click the pencil icon in the top right corner of the Visual Bookshelf profile box.
  • Click “Move to Wall tab”

“Move to wall

How can I add a profile box to the Boxes tab?

  • Go to Facebook’s Edit Applications page
  • In the “Displaying:” list of link, click on the “Authorized” link
  • In the list of applications, click on the “Edit” link in the “Visual Bookshelf” row
  • In the “Edit Visual Bookshelf” window, click on the 'Profile' tab
  • Next to “Box' status text, click “Add'
  • Click 'Okay' to save these changes

How can I add a tab to my Profile ('Books')?

  • Go to Facebook’s Edit Applications page
  • In the “Displaying:” list of link, click on the “Authorized” link
  • In the list of applications, click on the “Edit” link in the “Visual Bookshelf” row
  • In the “Edit Visual Bookshelf” window, click on the 'Profile' tab
  • Next to the “Tab' status text, click “Add'
  • Click 'Okay' to save these changes

How can I remove the Visual Bookshelf section from my Info tab?

  • Go to Facebook’s Edit Applications page
  • In the “Displaying:” list of links, click on the “Added to Profile” link
  • In the “Info Sections” portion of the page (you may need to scroll down to see it), find the “Visual Bookshelf” row
  • Click on the “Remove” link on the far right side of the “Visual Bookshelf” row

My profile box is not updating, why?

We update your profile box regularly. Sometimes, this takes a little longer than anticipated. To update immediately, navigate to the Settings page and click Update.

Notifications

Why don't the book covers display in my feed?

Facebook has changed how news feed stories work. Currently, the stories generated display as “one-line,” text only stories. If you visit the Wall page on your profile and hover over a feed story you can click to “expand” the story to a larger size. The larger feed story sizes (short and full) display the cover images.

Why aren’t Visual Bookshelf stories showing up in my Wall feed?

Feeds for Visual Bookshelf may be disabled in the Applications settings. You can verify your Facebook settings allow Visual Bookshelf to publish stories by following these steps:

  • Go to Facebook’s Edit Applications page
  • In the “Displaying:” list of link, click on the “Authorized” link
  • In the list of applications, click on the “Edit” link in the “Visual Bookshelf” row
  • In the “Edit Visual Bookshelf” window, click on the 'Wall' tab
  • Click on the “Allow Visual Bookshelf to publish specific story sizes automatically” option
  • Click “Okay” to save these changes

If you used to get Visual Bookshelf feeds but now noticed that you are not, please take into account that Facebook limits the number of feeds an application can publish in a 48-hour period. The current limit is 10 feeds in any 48-hour period.

Books

How do I add a book to my collection?

First, search for the book. Find the book you want to add in the search results. Next to the book's cover there are four options: Already read, Want to read, Reading now, and Not interested. Select the option that best describes your relation to the book. Once you've clicked the appropriate option, the book is automatically added to your collection.

How do I change a book's status?

The easiest way to change a book's status is from the Manage page. Simply filter for the book you want to change and then click the book's current status. Selecting one of the other two statuses will automatically save your change.

Alternatively, you can change a book's status on the book's details page. Use the “Your Interest” section to select the appropriate status for the book.

How do I remove a book from my collection?

You can remove books from the Manage page. Simply filter for the book and then use the corresponding red button to delete it from your collection.

How do I rate a book?

The easiest way to rate books in your collection is from the Manage page. Simply filter for the book you want to rate and then select the desired rating using the provided 5-stars.

Alternatively, you can rate a book on the book's page. On each book page you will see the 5-star Rating box just below the “Your Interest” section. Click the number of stars you want to assign to the book and your rating will be automatically saved.

How do I delete a rating?

The easiest way to remove rating from books in your collection is from the Manage page. Simply filter for the book you want to delete the rating for. Then use the small circle icon next to the star ratings to clear the rating from the book.

What is a Super Review?

In an effort to promote thoughtful reviews, LivingSocial is now designating reviews of 150 words or greater as a “Super Review” with a yellow indicator. In the future, these reviews will rank higher in our recommendation engine.

As this is a new program, feel free to send us feedback on how we can improve.

The database is missing a book. Can I add it?

First, make sure the book is actually actually missing by searching each of our data sources: livingsocial.com, amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, .ca, .de, and .jp, each of which can be selected on the top of the search results page. If the book is still missing, click the 'add the book to our catalog yourself!' link (you will find this at the bottom of each search result page). Enter the book's title, author, ISBN, and a brief description.

Recommendations

How are my recommendations generated?

Based upon the authors and books you've expressed interest in, livingsocial.com generates recommendations tailored exclusively to your personal interests. Each set of recommendations is unique to you!

Friends

How can I see what my friends are reading?

On the Friends page, the books your friends are currently reading are listed. To see a friend's entire collection simply click their picture and browse away!

How can I see the reviews my friends have written?

On the Friends page, the reviews your friends have written are listed.

Leaderboard

How is my ranking determined?

Your leaderboard position is based on the number of books you've marked as already read in your collection.

Import

How do I import my Amazon wish-lists?

On the bottom of the Manage page, click the “Import from Amazon Wishlist” link. Next, enter the email address associated with your Amazon account. Then click the “Search” button, and any books on your account's wish-lists will be retrieved.

For each book in your list, select the option that best describes your relation to the book (Already read, Want to read, Reading now, or Not interested). Once you've clicked the appropriate option, the book is automatically added to your collection.

How do I import ISBNs?

On the Manage page click Import from ISBN list. Cut and paste your ISBNs into the search box and click search. Use the check boxes for each book to add the books to your collection.

How do I import my LibraryThing book list?

On the Import page, enter your LibraryThing user name (ex: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/bobsmith12) and click the “Import” button. Books from your LibraryThing collection will then be automatically added to your Visual Bookshelf collection as ‘Already Read’.

Export

I want to export my collection to a CSV file, how do I this?

At the bottom of the Manage Tab page, we have added the “Export to CSV” feature. This will allow you to export your collection information to a CSV file. The caveat is that this feature is only available to LivingSocial.com site users and those who have linked their social network account to LivingSocial.com accounts. For more information on account linking, go to the “Account Linking” section of the FAQ.

PLEASE NOTE: You must login to the LivingSocial.com site in order to use the export feature.

Book Covers

This book is missing a cover image, can I upload one?

Absolutely! On each book's page there is an 'Upload cover' link. Simply click the link, locate the image file, and click select.

The Upload cover link didn't work, why?

To upload a cover you need to have flash enabled (http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/about/). If you have flash enabled and you are still encountering problems, check your browser to make sure that your browser doesn't have a flash block enabled.

I uploaded the wrong cover image, can I delete it?

We get several requests regarding this issue. Unfortunately, we currently do not allow you to delete an image once you upload it. However, based on your feedback, we hope to add this feature soon.

Account Linking

How do I link my LivingSocial: Books external account to my Visual Bookshelf Facebook account?

  • In a new tab or window, go to and login to Facebook
  • In a separate new tab or window, go to the external LivingSocial: Books site
  • Sign in with your existing LivingSocial account or create a new account if you do not already have one
  • In the top navbar, click on the “Settings” link
  • In the Settings pop-up, click on the “Link my Facebook, MySpace or Bebo account” link
  • In the Link Accounts pop-up, click on the “Facebook” icon

The linking process can take up to 10 minutes to complete. You will receive a message when the linking process has finished. Once linked, changes you make in Facebook will be reflected on the external LivingSocial: Books site (and vice versa).

RSS Feeds

Is there a way to view my collection activity in an RSS feed?

If you go to the “Feeds” section at the bottom of the “MANAGE” tab page, you can obtain RSS links to your collection activity (e.g., added an item; wrote a review) and a summary of your friends’ latest collection activity. Please note that authentication using your LivingSocial.com credentials is required to view the “friends’ summary” feed.

The RSS feature is only available to LivingSocial.com site users and those who have linked their social network account to LivingSocial.com accounts.

Bugs/Errors

I’m using Google Chrome and the Visual Bookshelf application. Now I can’t write reviews, add books to my collection, or rate any books. What’s up?

We rely on Javascript to perform all of these actions. And due to a Google Chrome/Facebook issue, the Javascript that drives these actions fails. We are working with Facebook to resolve these issues. In the interim, please use your old browser to manage your collection.

I've linked my account, why do some users not show up?

While it doesn't happen often, this is caused by either a) users whose respective social network accounts have been disabled or b) users that have made some pieces of data inaccessible.

I'm having a problem, where can I report my problem?

Please report any errors or share your feedback here.