With the Weekly Book Wrap-Up, I give you a bit of an insight into all the new books that have arrived at my place. No matter if I won a giveaway, got approved for a reviewer´s copy, an ARC or just bought one myself. Everything that I add to my shelves, in what way ever and read during the past week or am still reading, I will write about it. And maybe I tell you a bit about the upcoming things on Inkvotary, that is if I don´t forget it and have something to share with you *smile*
I am linking up with Tynga´s Reviews and Caffeinated Reviewer and hope you´ll have fun reading it and maybe get the one or the other book inspiration.
Stacking The Shelves #64
After months of waiting, I finally could welcome the Sarah J. Maas novella A Court Of Frost And Starlight. Compared to her other books, it IS really thin. I had actually planned to show here now pictures I will use on my Instagram account too. But with all the upcoming law changes, I had no time to be creative.
And I have to say thank you to Fischer for sending me Girl in Pieces (you see below the German cover of this book) by Kathleen Glasgow.
Bought Books
Reviewer Copy
Girl in Pieces
Sunday Post #21
This part could become a long one, but I need to get it out in the open or I will burst. In 2016 it was decided that a new data protection law will enter into force as of May 25, 2018.
When I created my blog in 2015 and started it seriously in 2016 I wasn´t aware of that law. Not to mention that I had never heard of it. Sure, I heard in the following months from time to time in my newsletter from an e-law-company that the DSGVO (internationally called GDPR) would come. But I didn´t saw a reason that I had to go into action and change some things. My blog is a very small one and I am not making any money with it. And some things Google offers you in the blog´s dashboard I haven´t even activated.
How wrong I was.
About two weeks ago I was even joking with another German blogger in her Tweet about the upcoming law that it was a huge mountain of work she had to do on her countless blog posts to make all those changes happen.
It literally hit me some days later that I had to deal with it as well when I noticed that many blogs vanished from the community because they didn´t know back then if and what they had to do and how to keep their blog legal. Panic started raising. Not me, no, but many others went into that mode.
The panic wave that went across the blogosphere was and is still huge. Because the DSGVO (GDPR) in Germany will be the strictest one in Europe and does not distinguish between a small company´s website with under 250 workers in the background or a hobby blogger who blogs about his passion. Whether it is crafting or blogging about books. The fact that everyone around the world can access your blog by knowing your URL or searching for it on Google and then click the shown link makes your blog no longer a "private" one. Though it feels like one. And I know that many other hobby-blogger see it that way too. But the law thinks otherwise.
Many Google bloggers moved their blog to the free Wordpress platform or went self-hosted. Others turned their blogs to a “private” one which can only be accessed by a bunch of people via password. Setting the blog in the private modus isn´t really an option when you blog about books and work together with publishers who send you free books.
Though I have to admit that a few nights ago I thought about either closing my blog, moving it or setting it on private. The flood of law information and the uncertainty about some things was simply TOO MUCH for me and my brain. One day I thought I can manage everything and keep my blog, the next I got even more information and off the good feeling went.
According to the news a few days ago, Chancellor Merkel wants to relax parts of the law last minute. And I know from one blogger that she has written an email to a famous TV show called SternTV where she asks them to talk about the DSGVO (GDPR) in one of their shows. She did that because many small bloggers, like her, are very frightened by the upcoming changes and she and some others had obviously a massive loss in followers.
I would have loved to provide you links to those posts or the news article, but they aren´t in English, so I leave it by only telling you.
My blog is hosted by Google and I am only able to do some of the required changes myself because I have the possibility in my dashboard. Sure, I can do way more than a blogger can do on the free Wordpress version, but SO MANY things are still unclear, and it is nerve-racking to have to wait and see WHAT and HOW Google will come up with what needs to be changed.
Yes, there is some progress to see on Blogger/Google, no question, and I can say that Google is obviously working in the background and I know that Wordpress will bring a DSGVO (GDPR) conform update on May 15, 2018. But nobody, not me on Google and not my friends on wp com know exactly how that will look like.
No doubt, data protection is good and necessary and very much needed. But not everyone can afford a lawyer who looks over the blog and tells you what you need to do and what isn´t of your concern because you are not meant in a certain law section.
No matter what´ll happen during the next twelve days, my blog will get a makeover. Partly has already. Some things will only go away for the time being until I know what I can legally do with them and how.
Others will vanish for good or just get a new place on my blog. Currently, I´m trying to get my Legal Details ready. If I can manage it, I will hopefully be able to provide them in an English version too. But so far, I am happy when I get the German version online.
Phew, now I am feeling better. Thanks for reading my words.
I am reading
Left shows the English cover, on the right the German edition
Happy reading
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I have no idea what these new laws mean for me. I am still trying to figure them out myself. I can't wait to see what you come up with for it might help me too. Thanks for this great post.
ReplyDeleteMary my #Sunday Roundup #18!
The new law changes concern only bloggers in Europe. But thank you for the compliment. Thanks for your visit and have a great new week.
DeleteThat is a lot to keep track of, and I sympathize. There are so many moving parts in the legal terrain, seems like, with blogging. Good luck with your changes and hope all goes well. Glad you're sticking around!
ReplyDeleteIt is totally crazy. The blog-dying in Germany is insane. It is absolutely sad. Thanks for your visit.
DeleteWow, what a mess. I can't imagine going through so much. Glad you've got a better hold on it now. I also LOVE that German cover!
ReplyDeleteIt is good that we have those changes coming. But it seems that nobody really understood what amount of work it means for all bloggers.
DeleteOh yes, the German cover is wonderful. It looks live even better *smile* Thanks for your visit.
Interesting post! I hope it all get worked out well over the next few weeks. Anne - Books of My Heart
ReplyDeleteIt is insane! But well, either doing it or closing this blog. Thanks for your visit.
DeleteUgh, I'm in the same boat too being in the UK... It's frickin' stupid. I could rant for hours about this. I'm still working out what the hell I have to do... 9 days to go! :(
ReplyDeleteWell, the thing about data protection itself is good. But on the other hand I am going kind of crazy about all those paragraphs I have to read, understand and see if they need to be included into my blog... Oh well. Thanks for stopping by.
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