ClubW Blog

Books and Food - Both really real world items, brought together on DineToRead.ie

The concept is a book club that meets at a different restaurant each month to discuss that month’s chosen book. The next meeting is at Vina Mara in Galway and the book on the menu is “The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga.

The real-world interactions are backed up with a website that allows signed-up users to discuss books and whatever else. (Examples). Also signed up users have a profile, which is to the point as it should be. Check me out at http://dinetoread.ie/forums/profile/antgalvin

Do I like books? I really do. But not to the point where I’d want to mix with a overly booky crowd.
But do I like meeting people? Sure I do, mostly, and anything that facilitates that in a comfortable manner must be good.

I think this is what DineToRead.ie is aiming for. Any online interaction is secondary to the actual real-world encounters and the E45 per head these cost. (By the way, this covers the cost of the meal and all the DineToRead.ie facilitation).

This sounds fine, but as I see it, this is a limited market.

Book clubs already exist up and down the country and do fine with out DineToRead. They always have.
DineToRead’s differentiating factor is the provision of social aspect for people who may not have a ready made group. I can see DineToRead being a perfect way for someone new to a city to make some friends, without all the panic attacks, stalker vetting, crying in the shower etc…

But if this is the market, then we are looking at a lot more competition. Pubs, GAA Clubs, Rugby Clubs, The ICA, Macra, Toastmasters, Anglers Associations… The list goes on and on. That’s some tough competition.

How to stand out??? Perversely, I think the Online element is the key. Books, and the All-About-Books are information rich. Where do you go to discuss this stuff online? I don’t know. DineToRead has an inbuilt forum. But fora are intimidating for casual browsers. If you are lucky enough to get someone to sign up, to add a profile, that’s good going. But there is only a < 20% chance (in my experience) that these people will want to share their thoughts on a forum. What a pity.

I love what DineToRead has done with out-of-the-box software (Wordpress, please correct me if I am wrong). Obviously, they have worked there behinds off on getting it to fit their plan. And it looks gorgeous, works gorgeous.

But it feels static to me.

1 Other Quick Point:
Why not talk to a bookseller in each of the centres that DineToRead is aimed at and organise a discount for members. I assume that DineToRead makes affiliate pennies on their Amazon links, but Amazon with a 1 week turnaround doesn’t suit a monthly book club eh? That’s my wife’s two cents.

- Ant