EP.589 《Book Lovers》以書會友 App 首次概念公布 + 問卷調查 ft. 電扶梯走左邊 Jacky
·46 min·4 clips
Waki and Jacky announce they're building 'Book Lovers,' an app to connect people intellectually through books.
The episode opens with Waki and Jacky announcing their partnership to develop 'Book Lovers,' an app aimed at fostering intellectual connections through shared reading. They recount how their own deep bond formed during a remote podcast recording where they discussed 20-30 books without prior meeting, highlighting books as a powerful social catalyst. Jacky shares his background, including a decade-old 'Bookstagram' app prototype and experience hosting book clubs in New York, which inspired the current project. Waki describes his frustration with mainstream social media's distracting, superficial content and the lack of dedicated spaces for substantive book discussions. The core app concept involves treating each book as a profile or 'KOL' with its own dynamic feed where users can post comments, quotes, and interact, creating a non-synchronous book club environment. Users can navigate between book profiles and user profiles to see shared readings and discussions, enabling organic connections. They detail the evolution through three prototype versions: from photo-based shared bookshelves to an IG-like interface, culminating in the current 'book as profile' model. Survey feedback revealed key user needs: reducing social interaction pressure, prioritizing book-based over person-based connections, and a strong desire to discover new books. The app intends to filter users by their reading interests, creating a focused community. Later, Waki promotes his new book 'Situational Wisdom,' which addresses polarized advice in social media and offers ten chapters on navigating contradictory viewpoints using contextual judgment. Examples include the early bird versus night owl debate and re-evaluating anxiety as a creative tool. The episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to complete a survey to influence development and gain early access to the app.
