Goodreads and Facebook are two popular social media platforms for book lovers. Goodreads is specifically designed for tracking your reading, discovering new books, and connecting with other readers. Facebook is a general social media site that people use for sharing all kinds of interests and keeping up with friends. With their overlapping purposes, many readers wonder – is Goodreads linked to Facebook?
The Short Answer
Yes, Goodreads is owned by Amazon and integrated with Facebook. When you sign up for a new Goodreads account, you have the option to connect with Facebook to import your friends and post your updates to Facebook. However, importing Facebook friends and posting to Facebook are optional features. You can use Goodreads independently without linking to Facebook if you prefer.
Goodreads Account Sign Up
When you first create your Goodreads account, one of the steps allows you to connect with Facebook. On the Goodreads sign up page, there is an option to “Connect with Facebook.” If you click this option, Goodreads will import your Facebook friends who also have Goodreads accounts to make friending book lovers easier. Your Facebook name, profile photo, and email address will be imported to complete your Goodreads profile setup quickly.
Linking with Facebook during sign up is completely optional. You can skip connecting with Facebook and set up your profile manually by adding your name, photo, email, and finding friends within Goodreads. The choice depends on your comfort level with integrating Goodreads and Facebook.
Posting Goodreads Updates to Facebook
After you’ve created your Goodreads account, you can control whether your activity is posted to Facebook. In your Goodreads account settings, go to the “Profile” tab. Here you can manage your linked accounts including Facebook. Unchecking the box for “Automatically post my updates to Facebook” will disconnect posting.
By default, any updates you post to your Goodreads feed, such as book reviews or currently reading status, are automatically cross-posted on your connected Facebook account. Unlinking the accounts stops your Goodreads activity from displaying on your Facebook profile and news feed without having to delete your Facebook connection completely.
Importing Facebook Friends to Goodreads
When you first connect Goodreads to Facebook, your Facebook friends with Goodreads accounts are imported. This makes it easy to see which of your existing friends are on Goodreads and simplifies following or friending them.
After the initial import, your Facebook friends and Goodreads friends remain linked. Any new Facebook friends who join Goodreads in the future will be added to your Goodreads friend recommendations. However, your Goodreads friend network and Facebook friends remain separate – adding or removing a Facebook friends does not impact your Goodreads friends.
Finding Friends on Facebook through Goodreads
You can also use Goodreads connected with Facebook to find more friends. In the “Friends” section of your Goodreads account, there is a “Find Friends” tool. You can search for friends by name or username. But there is also an option to “Import Friends from Facebook” at any time.
When you use the Facebook import friends feature, it will check your current Facebook friends and follow any who have Goodreads accounts that are not already on your Goodreads friends list. This allows you to periodically sync up your Goodreads and Facebook networks if you connect new friends on Facebook that you want to follow on Goodreads.
Benefits of Linking Goodreads and Facebook
Connecting your Goodreads and Facebook accounts can enrich your experience on both platforms in the following ways:
- Easily find your existing Facebook friends on Goodreads
- Discover new bookish friends from your broader Facebook network
- Keep up with friends’ reading activities and book recommendations
- Share your own Goodreads book updates, reviews, and ratings to Facebook
- Maintain your Goodreads and Facebook social circles in one place
Reasons to Disconnect Goodreads from Facebook
While there are benefits to linking Goodreads and Facebook, there are also reasons you may want to disconnect posting and keep the accounts separate:
- Avoid spamming your Facebook friends who aren’t interested in your book posts
- Keep your reading activity private from your broader Facebook network
- Maintain separation of your book community and personal social media
- Reduce notifications and social media overload
How to Disconnect Goodreads from Facebook
If you decide you want to unlink your Goodreads and Facebook accounts, here is how to do it:
- Go to your Goodreads account settings
- Select the “Profile” tab
- Locate “Linked Accounts” and select “Facebook”
- Uncheck the box next to “Automatically post my updates to Facebook”
- Scroll down and click “Remove Connection to Facebook”
This will prevent any more Goodreads updates from posting to your Facebook timeline. However, your Facebook profile info will still be connected to your Goodreads account. To remove all Facebook association, you will also need to edit your Goodreads profile details and remove the linked Facebook account.
Closing Thoughts
Goodreads and Facebook provide complementary social platforms for book lovers. Linking your Goodreads and Facebook accounts makes it easy to stay connected with your reading community across both networks. However, automatic posting and syncing might not be for everyone. You can customize your settings based on your preferences for social media interaction and privacy around your reading life. Just know that you can choose to unlink Goodreads and Facebook while maintaining accounts on both platforms if that is your ideal scenario.