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Ann Handley

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Shelfies: Like Selfies, But for Book Nerds


Big thanks to Dave Cutler for the story tip!

I don’t know about you, but I kind of like #shelfies far better than #selfies. You?

Filed Under: Annarchy, Annecdote, Business, Content, Social Media Tagged With: Instagram

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gordon Diver says

    January 30, 2014 at 7:52 am

    Great idea and execution. Been known to add a #shelfie in my decks for the resources page. Good fun.

    Reply
    • Ann Handley says

      January 31, 2014 at 8:57 am

      See? There you go being a trendsetter, Gordon!

      Reply
  2. Zsuzsi Szabo says

    January 30, 2014 at 10:18 am

    Wow, what a good idea! This is soothing that I would definitely recommend to our customers. They found a trend and formed to their own way. Great!

    Reply
  3. Sanchit Khera @sanchitkhera7 says

    January 30, 2014 at 12:01 pm

    This is fantastic! Perfect example of using context and crowd sourcing. Love this marketing campaign.

    Reply
  4. Peter Knox says

    January 30, 2014 at 3:52 pm

    I had the http://shareyourshelf.tumblr.com idea 15 months ago, but it certainly hasn’t taken off like Shelfies, which is shorter/cuter and brilliant because it brings the bookshelf’s owner into it. Very smart and fun.

    Reply
    • Ann Handley says

      January 31, 2014 at 8:59 am

      That IS a good idea, Peter… but yes, the NYPL execution was concise and awesome. And had the momentum of a look of book lovers on Instagram to give it a boost.

      Reply
  5. Melinda Venable says

    January 30, 2014 at 9:47 pm

    This such a fab and inspirational post, Ann. Thanks for caring enough to sharing it with your readers 🙂

    Reply
    • Ann Handley says

      January 31, 2014 at 9:00 am

      Thanks for stopping in, Melinda. What a nice way to put it. Appreciate it.

      Reply
  6. Trine Ellegaard says

    January 31, 2014 at 7:51 am

    I love #shelfies – but who wouldn’t? It is certainly for book people like us – #shelfiesrule. It’s big in Europe as well, Ann. Thanks for sharing. Where’s your #shelfie by the way?

    Reply
    • Ann Handley says

      January 31, 2014 at 9:01 am

      I knew you’d love it Trine! I was thinking of you! My #Shelfie is actually at the top here — right under the headline. (That’s my dog, Abby.) (Note Instagram pillow on wing chair!)

      Reply
  7. Jamie Wallace says

    January 31, 2014 at 11:45 am

    Now this is a kind of “selfie” I can live with! 🙂
    Love the idea and love the marketing insights you’ve drawn from it. Such a great and social use of social media.

    Reply
  8. Joshua Rodriguez says

    February 5, 2014 at 9:41 am

    This is a trend I will gladly get behind. It weeds out non-readers and lets you see some of the amazing book collections people have amass. We gotta do everything we can to make books COOL again!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. My Shelfies | samplingitall says:
    January 31, 2014 at 2:42 pm

    […] has been written “Shelfies: Like Selfies, But for Book Nerds“. Since I fit in the book nerd category quite comfortably, here is one of my […]

    Reply
  2. My Shelfies | says:
    January 31, 2014 at 2:52 pm

    […] has been written “Shelfies: Like Selfies, But for Book Nerds“. Since I fit in the book nerd category quite comfortably, here is one of my […]

    Reply
  3. Sat. Edition – The Flu and Other Misadventures plus Good Reads and Writing Advice | Live to Write - Write to Live says:
    February 1, 2014 at 11:31 am

    […] Shelfies: Like Selfies, But for Book Nerds by @annhandley – I abhor selfies, but shelfies I can live with. Ann Handley explains the phenomenon and provides some great marketing insights at the same time. […]

    Reply
  4. From Baking To Vidding: A Busy Weekend | Natacha Guyot says:
    February 1, 2014 at 4:55 pm

    […] Shelfies: Like Selfies, But For Book Nerds by Ann Handley […]

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  5. The Train Tracks Underneath the Visual Content Based Social Media Train: Part 8- Two Types of Humor Via #Snowmageddon 2014 | The NICE Reboot: A Guide to Becoming a Better Female Entrepreneur- How to Balance Your Craving for Humanity and Technology in Toda says:
    February 13, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    […] on Slideshare and Ann Handley’s blog, especially after her funny post on Saddleback Bags and Shelfies for […]

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  6. Should the Government do More to Protect Online Privacy? says:
    March 21, 2014 at 11:02 am

    […] are using any of the online social networks to spout out about your political views or posting your #shelfies on Instagram, you should consider yourself a virtual publisher. And just like any reputable […]

    Reply
  7. The Gloucestershire Copywriter’s shelfie … | Copywriters Gloucestershire: Writing Now says:
    May 12, 2014 at 5:12 am

    […] According to a recent piece in The Guardian, selfies may have been the thing in 2013, but pictures of bookshelves are now much more interesting. Others are already on the shelfie bandwagon (or should that be bookshelf?) started by Instagram, including Radio 2′s Simon Mayo and the New York Public Library. […]

    Reply
  8. One Chat, 11 Minutes, 10 Takeaways…WOW! | The Power of Priddy says:
    July 28, 2014 at 10:32 pm

    […] Shelfies (https://www.annhandley.com/2014/01/30/shelfies-like-selfies-but-for-book-nerds/) […]

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  9. What Does Your Library Stand For? Advice From Ann Handley | Content Marketing For Libraries says:
    February 18, 2015 at 5:46 am

    […] for in the previous question, because it’s all about inspiring people to connect with a mission. The #Shelfies movement is a great example of that, when the NYPL asked book lovers to submit photos of their personal […]

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