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SharedBook Launches First Digital Platform for Annotated, Centralized Review and Discussion of Google Book Settlement

Posted on: Thursday, 28 May 2009, 07:00 CDT

Proprietary Annotation Platform Enables Stakeholders and Experts to view all Relevant Documents and Engage in Dynamic, Contextual Discussion for Public Record

NEW YORK, May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- SharedBook Inc., the custom publishing enabler, announces the launch of a new digital platform to facilitate public debate on Google's settlement with the book publishing industry in an unprecedented way, using SharedBook's patented digital annotation technology. For the first time, the full settlement, amicus briefs, and other relevant documents will be gathered on a single platform, www.gbs.sharedbook.com, which will allow all stakeholders to interactively share their diverse points of view through a contextual, online discussion of this industry-changing settlement agreement.

"Our annotation system is the future of debate," said Caroline Vanderlip, CEO of SharedBook. "Annotation of this depth and flexibility has never before been possible. Until now discussions on this industry-changing issue have been taking place across fragmented forums. Now, for the first time, policymakers, businesspeople, scholars, journalists and others will have the opportunity to come together and engage in a granular, contextual dialogue on this important topic."

SharedBook's annotation platform allows comments and responsive statements to be posted in real-time, linking them directly to the Google Book Settlement and accompanying documents through online footnoting, while (unlike a wiki) always preserving the original documents in their original form. Access to the platform can be controlled according to a variety of criteria or opened to the public, as in this case. As a result, the Google Book Settlement site will be an informed and transparent analysis of key points of the settlement by its most concerned stakeholders, made available to anyone on the Web.

The platform also offers a compilation and print capability, allowing books to be created from the content with any combination of annotations, which appear in the book as footnotes. The company plans to make copies of the annotated debate document that results available as a custom book, at a minimal charge.

"As the leading provider for the personalization and customization of books, the outcome of the Google Book Settlement is of considerable interest to us as a company. Through our platform, we're demonstrating the potential for engaging all stakeholders through a digital discussion in helping to shape future policies and legislations," added Caroline Vanderlip.

"The SharedBook platform is revolutionary because it enables publishers to add user-generated annotation to the scholarly record with full editorial oversight," said Bill Rosenblatt, president of GiantSteps Media Technology Strategies and author of the white paper Google's Settlement with the Publishing Industry: Opportunities and Strategies for Publishers. "By allowing users to review and annotate the full complement of documents related to the Google Book Settlement, SharedBook is delivering an important public service while also showcasing the key features of its platform."

SharedBook invites all interested parties to be a part of history by joining in the discussion about the Google Book Settlement at www.gbs.sharedbook.com.

About SharedBook

SharedBook's Custom Publishing Platform allows customized and personalized books to be created dynamically and then displayed as flipbooks on the Web, downloaded as PDFs, or professionally printed. SharedBook specializes in integrating and publishing data from various sources through its own proprietary tools, which dramatically change the economics of book publishing. SharedBook's platform supports the traditional publisher's interest in personalization, and allows Web content providers to become publishers. SharedBook partners include Allrecipes.com, Blog2print.com, Bloomsbury, CaringBridge, CBS College Sports, DK Publishing, FuneralNet, Hachette Filipacci, HarperCollins Publishers, Legacy.com, The Officer Down Memorial Page, Penguin USA, Random House, Inc., Regnery Publishing, SOHO Publishing, Sterling Publishing, Thomas Nelson Publishing, among others. For more information, please go to www.sharedbook.com or http://blog.sharedbook.com.

SOURCE SharedBook, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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