What's your opinion on blinkist.com ?

[Alex Nolte]

Just stumbled across blinkist.com and I'm curious whats your opinion on it? Has anyone tried it? Can it completely replace reading a book? Or do you think its only scratching on the surface?

 

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[pmaloneus]

I have used it for the past 2 years. It hasn't replaced books for me, but helps me weed out the true gems that I want to dig deeper into.

Solid purchase for me and will continue to use it. It's actually how I found this forum.

 

[Alex Nolte]

Aight thanks! I think I'll start with the monthy subscription and see how I like it.

 

[Mr.Brandtastic]

Looks interesting, why don't you try it and get back to us?

 

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[cwalto12]

I'm interested in your experience as well.

 

[Alex Nolte]

Looks interesting, why don't you try it and get back to us?

I'm interested in your experience as well.

I'll keep you posted!

 

[MC Hammer]

I would say it's worth checking out, but there is a serious danger. You might read the blink thinking that you pretty much understand the topic, while there will be serious gaps in your understanding.

That may seem obvious, but I wonder if I would have skipped over some excellent books had I listened to the blink first. I think I can only truly recommend it for books that you would normally never read. It may very well work out differently for you. Good luck.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

It's actually how I found this forum.

How is that? Are they distributing summaries on my work?

Producing and profiting on book summaries requires a license. I have sold no license on any of my books for summaries. And I don't want it summarized.

 

[JAJT]

@MJ DeMarco

How is that? Are they distributing summaries on my work?

It looks like yes: The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco

 

[Tommo]

Hi MJ

How is that? Are they distributing summaries on my work?

Producing and profiting on book summaries requires a license. I have sold no license on any of my books for summaries. And I don't want it summarized.

.
Hi MJ,
You might notice your ideas are being used and "personalized" in other writers books IMO. Lot's of copycat works seem to be appearing not just in books but on FB IM ads.

 

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[Sanj Modha]

I have used it for the past 2 years. It hasn't replaced books for me, but helps me weed out the true gems that I want to dig deeper into.

Solid purchase for me and will continue to use it. It's actually how I found this forum.

Nothing can replace a book for me. Ever.

Switching to audio or Kindle instead of reading a physical book is like putting on a VR headset and 'going on holiday' instead of actually travelling the world.

It's just not the same experience.

 

[NVaz]

Aight thanks! I think I'll start with the monthy subscription and see how I like it.

They have a free daily book summary (link), I suggest you to start with that and see if it suits you. I don't have a subs but I do take advantage of their daily book summary (I send it to my kindle through a chrome extension called.... Send to Kindle ).

I still prefer to read the whole book, but I do admit that it is a great way to find and read about topics that otherwise I wouldn't read.

 

[TonyStark]

You’re only robbing yourself of the process by reading these summaries.

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” - Bruce Lee

I’d rather know one book front to cover (The Millionaire Fastlane ) than a thousand one-page summaries.

 

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[Fyniaina]

Just stumbled across blinkist.com and I'm curious whats your opinion on it? Has anyone tried it? Can it completely replace reading a book? Or do you think its only scratching on the surface?

I've been using it and just like everything else; it can be a tool that you can use to your advantage if you know what you're looking for.
Does it replace books? I really enjoyed it when I first joined and out of curiousity after reading many blinkist summaries, I decided to download a book that I have actually read, and another and another and it turns out, they simply leave out a lot of information that I felt was important in the book and they even change the working and context sometimes so it depends on the writer they reads and summaizes the book.

I genuinely think it's the equivalent of a trailer on a movie. It's not even the movie version of a book which we all know they also cut out a lot but it's like you have read a book and then a movie was made about it and then a summary of the movie was out into a trailer to encourage you to watch the movie.

All and all I would say, if you hear of interesting book, try it on blinkist and if there is something that into gues you in there. Make sure you get the actual book and read it.

 

[Arthur Charles]

I have been using it sporadically for 3 years. I first used it while commuting, it was great to listen to insights from a book and get an idea whether I would like the book or not. Now I have moved to Audible for audiobooks, and prefer those to audio Blinks.

Regarding the summaries themselves, some of them are good, others just meh. Have a look at some Blinks of books you have already read, and you'll get an idea of what to expect.

I once tried a "One Blink a day" challenge for 30 days. Well, at the end of the month I definitely didn't feel any smarter. I just had a vague idea of many subjects.

I find the hours you spend reading a particular book and grasping the essence of what the author wants to convey much more efficient. The connection you have with the book, the author, and the story will leave a dent in your mind forever. We all have memories of books we read, the places we did it, the mood we were in and the impact it had in our life (positive or negative).
Reading a 15-minute summary definitely doesn't do that.

So, my honest feedback is this: Blinkist is a nice-to-have, it hasn't helped me become smarter. It is great to read a bit about many subjects, their catalog is huge. But here we are really talking about quantity over quality, unfortunately. I am not sure I will renew my subscription again. I truly feel I learn much more by reading one specific book, thoroughly taking notes and highlighting, than by reading dozens of Blinks.

Try the daily free summary and see if you like the format.

From a business perspective, they must be making tons of money. Their team has been growing like crazy. A French alternative (Koober) launched the same kind of service not long after Blinkist, and they seem to be doing good too. It seems the market is out there.

I'm surprised they didn't get in touch with @MJ DeMarco and ask permission to write about TMFL. One Karma penalty point for them.

 

[pmaloneus]

How is that? Are they distributing summaries on my work?

Producing and profiting on book summaries requires a license. I have sold no license on any of my books for summaries. And I don't want it summarized.

Hmmm I wonder why they would put it out then? Have you reached out to them at all? I really thought you were partnering with them.

 

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[Sanj Modha]

Warren Buffet spends 5 hours reading 500 pages every single day.

Mark Cuban read for 3 hours before 'starting work'.

Tai Lopez reads the summary, Appendix and book reviews before posting pictures of his garage...

 

[yetieater]

How is that? Are they distributing summaries on my work?

I gotchu. I'm bumping your work to the top of my queue. Expect something in the early afternoon.

Edit:

Here you go - I read the Blinkist book-in-blinks on your work:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQVUJCHsfME&list=PLMZi3xtkKUdpHf6pjG9tebneVFd9u7lsc

 

[Alex Nolte]

They have a free daily book summary (link), I suggest you to start with that and see if it suits you. I don't have a subs but I do take advantage of their daily book summary (I send it to my kindle through a chrome extension called.... Send to Kindle ).

I still prefer to read the whole book, but I do admit that it is a great way to find and read about topics that otherwise I wouldn't read.

Perfect, thanks I'll give those daily summaries a try! Does "Send to Kindle" work well with Blinkist summaries? I've made the experience that the extension doesn't work with certain website formats etc

 

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[Alex Nolte]

You’re only robbing yourself of the process by reading these summaries.

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” - Bruce Lee

I’d rather know one book front to cover (The Millionaire Fastlane ) than a thousand one-page summaries.

Wow powerful quote! I'll give the free daily blink a try but tbh I'm very biased in a negative way towards blinkist now haha

 

[Alex Nolte]

I find the hours you spend reading a particular book and grasping the essence of what the author wants to convey much more efficient. The connection you have with the book, the author, and the story will leave a dent in your mind forever. We all have memories of books we read, the places we did it, the mood we were in and the impact it had in our life (positive or negative).

True words! I definitely agree to that. Thanks for the detailed reply!

 

[Alex Nolte]

Warren Buffet spends 5 hours reading 500 pages every single day.

Mark Cuban read for 3 hours before 'starting work'.

Tai Lopez reads the summary, Appendix and book reviews before posting pictures of his garage...

lmaooo

 

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[TonyStark]

Wow powerful quote! I'll give the free daily blink a try but tbh I'm very biased in a negative way towards blinkist now haha

I’m not against these websites, but there’s no real value other than entertainment, and discovering new books.

If you want good summaries, go to Amazon reviews.

 

[csalvato]

Tai Lopez reads the summary, Appendix and book reviews before posting pictures of his garage...

Lol this made my day

EDIT: Premature submit...

I used Blinkist for several months. It's a great service to discover and vet new books that you want to check out. However, I found that I didn't need it because I have a pretty specific way I choose most books, and that supplies me with a steady stream.

My approach is:

1. Any biographies and autobiographies of people who have changed the world in a notable way go to the top of the list.
2. Any book that is recommended by a friend or mentor who is where I want to be moves to the top of the list.

Personally, I found you can't go wrong with the biography of someone who has accomplished massive feats.

 

[LuckyPup]

Just stumbled across blinkist.com and I'm curious whats your opinion on it? Has anyone tried it? Can it completely replace reading a book? Or do you think its only scratching on the surface?

I've been a Blinkist subscriber for about 6 months, and I've been an Audible listener for years. I agree with whoever posted that Blinkist is a process shortcut; not a good thing. For me, it's just more clutter in a world full of too much info. I've been "an inch deep and a mile wide" guy most my life, and have learned the hard way that I need to cut out extraneous info. The same goes with podcasts and other informational snippets. This stuff just distracts me from creating a real process and doing "deep work," as coined by Cal Newport.

However, if you prefer quantity over quality and like knowing a little about many things, you might like Blinkist.

 

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[eliquid]

Seems like most have said what I am about to say...

I've been on blinkist for 3 years now.

Here is my process. Though might be overkill for some.

1. I scroll through Blinkist and find books that might be interesting to me.
2. I save them and read through the summary.
3. If the summary is good ( meaning good to my interest ), then I might buy the book/kindle/audio and go deeper with the real thing.
4. I read through "Blinks" of books I already read ( maybe 1-4 years ago ) and get a refresher of the topic.​

I have found if you just ONLY read the blinks/summary, you can miss out on a ton. By a ton, I mean A TON. However, using it as a pre-filter I can get an idea if the book is something I want to dig deeper into.

Lots of gems are missed compared to reading the book/audio/kindle and those gems add up. Also all the "reading between the lines" is missed too.

I use it as a "filter" for new books.

I use it to "remember" topics and high level of older books I have already read.

I also back this process up with Sivers' summary of books available at BOOKS | Derek Sivers

Although this sounds like a lot of work, I actually like getting my own view of what the books are about, AND ALSO the views of others like Derek Sivers or the person summarizing the books. Sometimes a new "angle" can be enlightening and educational.

.

 

[LuckyPup]

Seems like most have said what I am about to say...

I've been on blinkist for 3 years now.

Here is my process. Though might be overkill for some.

1. I scroll through Blinkist and find books that might be interesting to me.
2. I save them and read through the summary.
3. If the summary is good ( meaning good to my interest ), then I might buy the book/kindle/audio and go deeper with the real thing.
4. I read through "Blinks" of books I already read ( maybe 1-4 years ago ) and get a refresher of the topic.​

I have found if you just ONLY read the blinks/summary, you can miss out on a ton. By a ton, I mean A TON. However, using it as a pre-filter I can get an idea if the book is something I want to dig deeper into.

Lots of gems are missed compared to reading the book/audio/kindle and those gems add up. Also all the "reading between the lines" is missed too.

I use it as a "filter" for new books.

I use it to "remember" topics and high level of older books I have already read.

I also back this process up with Sivers' summary of books available at BOOKS | Derek Sivers

Although this sounds like a lot of work, I actually like getting my own view of what the books are about, AND ALSO the views of others like Derek Sivers or the person summarizing the books. Sometimes a new "angle" can be enlightening and educational.

.

Good approach, and I guess I do the same, but it still seems to be a distraction overall. Plus, I end up with a ton of books in my "to read" list, which creates a bit of anxiety. That's just me.

 

[NanoDrake]

You’re only robbing yourself of the process by reading these summaries.

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” - Bruce Lee

I’d rather know one book front to cover (The Millionaire Fastlane ) than a thousand one-page summaries.

couldn't sum it any better. thanks a million!

Just argued with a friend of mine couple of months ago on this and out of the blue he said the same things i told months ago...

Warren Buffet spends 5 hours reading 500 pages every single day.

Mark Cuban read for 3 hours before 'starting work'.

Tai Lopez reads the summary, Appendix and book reviews before posting pictures of his garage...

give this man a medal

 

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[Alex Nolte]

So guys, I know it's been a while since my last reply. After having "tried" a few of the free daily blinks I can now come to the conclusion that what I think the majority of other users on this thread have said already: A blink NEVER replaces a real book. I don't even remember all the books names which summaries I read.

So yeah it gives you a first taste or the main idea, but the fact that you only deal with each book for a few minutes, makes it impossible for you to build a deep connection to the book as you would normally do.

Furthermore I'd say its just too much information at once: You all know that taking action is way more important than learning one theoretical approach after the other but when you get to know new or different principles on a daily basis (through blinkist) you don't even know where to start and kinda lose control.

So for me its just not worth spending that much money when I still have to buy the real book in the end.