Today’s Tuesday Thingers question is:Why LT? Why did you choose to open and maintain an LT account? Do you/did you use other online cataloging/social networking sites, like GoodReads or Shelfari? Do you use more than one? Are they different or do they serve different purposes?

I happened across a link to LibraryThing at a time when I was looking for ways to catalog my books, so the timing was perfect. I love being able to tag the books any way I want – I don’t have too many really oddball tags, but I love the potential to get really creative. Setting up my account was wonderful – I got to physically touch every single book in my library, so I could get them all entered. I also love the way the site combines cataloging and statistics with discussion forums. It has put me in touch with people who are even more book-crazy than I am, always a plus.

The Early Reviewer program is a big part of why I love LibraryThing – free books! Who could resist free books? Plus there’s the “cool” factor of getting to read something before it’s available to the masses.

I’m also on GoodReads and that’s only because a group of folks at one of the other forums where I post are enthusiastic users. Oddly enough, a couple of them are librarians and they dislike LibraryThing for the very thing I love – the ability to tag-it-yourself. Still, GoodReads is a good way to see what people are reading right now and pass on book recommendations when you finish something great, but I can take it or leave it.