New Cloud-Based Social Reading Platform for Web and Mobile From Sumbola

And example of what’s not just around the corner, but here now: readers crowdsourcing content to enhance an author’s work…

“Readers can opt-in to share their page notes and chapter comments, highlights, favorite passages, make recommendations, add contextual dictionary terms… even their artistic inspirations…Readers, for the first time, can make a text-driven book, a transmedia experience by contributing content enhancements in the form of videos, music, images, tweets, blog feeds or other complementary content,” said Mark Hempel, co-founder of Sumbola…and the platform makes it easy to enhance any book.”

The author, of course, does need to okay the content.

I’m personally imagining the amazing images that could accompany one of my favorite fantasy/folk tale books (not to mention how tweeting and blogging would get it more readers), Catherynne Valente’s “In the Night Garden.”

For more information, visit https://www.sumbola.com, or follow Sumbola on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sumbolacosi

Combined with the launch of the Digital Public Library in a few short weeks, I see an incredible public commons soon available. While I don’t think the DPL would allow crowdsourcing to their materials (and I don’t think they should – who would decide it’s worthy or appropriate?), these two projects are helping create amazing information resources.