Bob Stein was an early ebook publisher, publishing titles such as the Annotated Alice and the digital version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Lately he’s been working with a new platform he calls Social Book.
Stein imagines, for example, that future forms of books might be developed not by conventional publishers but by the gaming industry. He also envisions that the distinction between writer and reader will be blurred by a social reading experience in which authors and consumers can digitally interact with each other to discuss any passage, sentence or line. Indeed, his latest project, Social Book, allows members to insert comments directly into digital book texts and is already used by teachers at several high schools and universities to stimulate discussions. “For my grandchildren, the idea that reading is something you do by yourself will seem arcane,” he says. “Why would you want to read by yourself if you can have access to the ideas of others you know and trust, or to the insights of people from all over the world?” (Source)
Stein on SocialBook:
Bob Stein mentions in this presentation the MIT project Bicycle Repair Manual.