So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodnight to the B&N Book Clubs

This sign has been a non-stop part of my life for many, many years and it's with a tear stained keyboard I give you my goodbye letter to a community that made me the bookish person I am today.

As of May 1^st 2014 the B&N Book Club Community will no longer exist.

Saying Goodbye and Fair Well to a Huge part of my reading life is hard and even knowing it was coming doesn't make it any easier. But lets go back to where it all started way back when the internet was just a baby back to Barnes & Noble University when the, then Giant force in the reading experience started a unique and groundbreaking internet only site where readers could come and take “free” on-line classes. This site progressed to the one so many readers, authors, publishers, bloggers, etc., know and loved for the many years that followed, the book club forum communities.

I had the honor of being a small part of this; first as a reader looking for ideas and other like-minded people to commune with. Then as a moderator for the Fiction General Discussion book club forum. This foray into the unknown for me was the best thing to ever happen to this reader, reviewer, blogger, it led me to e-meet and meet in person so many others in the community from readers and authors and publishers alike. It solidified my passion for reading by giving me an exclusive place to share that passion with others who were just as passionate as I was.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and the B&N on-line community is no exception. It’s been one year this month that B&N let go all of their moderators in the company’s effort to promote their new on-line device, the B&N book blog. It’s not the same, there’s no sense of community any longer but I hope they'll flourish in their attempt to keep an on-line presence going. There were some moderators who meagerly attempted to stay in touch and some like Becke Davis, the moderator of the Mystery forum who will go down with the ship.

I’m going to miss the camaraderie of the many members through the years, some who have moved on and some who continue to comment and post what’s going on in their reading lives and their lives in general.

I know that Barnes & Noble is having really difficult financial issues and I sincerely hope that this sight will not be leaving the landscape like the community is leaving the ethereal one.

So goodbye B&N forums it’s been great!

This is the note from B&N to their community members:
"Important Message from Barnes and Noble

Since 1997, you’ve been coming to BarnesandNoble.com to discuss everything from Stephen King to writing to Harry Potter. You’ve made our site more than a place to discover your next book: you’ve made it a community. But like all things internet, BN.com is growing and changing. On May 1, we’re saying goodbye to our community message boards—but that doesn’t mean we won’t still be a place for adventurous readers to connect and discover.

Now, you can explore the most exciting new titles (and remember the classics) at the Barnes & Noble Book Blog. Check out conversations with authors like Jeff VanderMeer and Gary Shteyngart at the B&N Review, and browse write-ups of the best in literary fiction. Come to our Facebook page to weigh in on what it means to be a book nerd. Browse digital deals on the NOOK blog, tweet about books with us,or self-publish your latest novella with NOOK Press. And for those of you looking for support for your NOOK, the NOOK Support Forums will still be here.

We will continue to provide you with books that make you turn pages well past midnight, discover new worlds, and reunite with old friends. And we hope that you’ll continue to tell us how you’re doing, what you’re reading, and what books mean to you."