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Barnes & Noble is Shutting Down Nook Support Forums (Yes, The Nook Still Exists)

There’s an old quip about asking the last person to leave a place to please shut off the lights, but apparently Barnes & Noble isn’t going to wait.

They have posted a notice on the front page of the Nook support forums with the news that the forums will be shutting down next Thursday.

If you can’t see the above image, it says:

Hi Everyone,

As some of you have noted, today we are writing to you all and sharing the news that the NOOK Support Forum will be shutting down on September 7, 2017. We would like to thank you for being such active users and for your contributions to this forum over the years.

Though the forums will no longer be around, we’ll still be here to answer all your support questions at https://help.barnesandnoble.com/ and on social media at the following links:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BN_care

• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/barnesandnoble

Thank you again for your time in the NOOK Support Forum and we hope you continue to visit us on these other channels.

Feel free to comment below and/or PM me with any questions or concerns. It’s been a fun time hanging out with you all here.

The Nook support forums have been defunct for quite some time now, so this shutdown was to be expected.

The five forums averaged about a half-dozen new topics each month (combined). For a company that used to be a major player in ebooks, that is the next best thing to dead, and it makes a lot of sense for B&N to cut its cost by shuttering a venue that simply isn’t being used any more.

That’s the same reasoning B&N has used to justify outsourcing or shutting down most nook operations, in fact. The Nook ereader hardware was outsourced to Netronix, the Android tablet is now the purview of a Chinese OEM, the international Nook stores have been closed, and core Nook functions have been outsourced to an Indian tech firm.

Do you suppose that B&N ever gets tired of shouting "Retreat!"?

image by karen horton

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Comments


Reader September 1, 2017 um 1:35 pm

I rather liked the Nook Simple Touch. I also liked the customer support for the Nook at B&N stores. The website was a disaster, as was the decision to not permit downloading to a PC. (Or to make it rather difficult.)

I bought and returned the Glowlight Plus, as its font choice was more limited than what the Simple Touch provided.

I’m sorry that B&N blew it. As a result I haven’t purchased anything from them in a while.


BDR September 1, 2017 um 3:30 pm

How much could it possibly cost to maintain that website? Sure, the ship is sinking but you don’t need to advertise such by posting a big ol' neon sign like shutting down a support website in such blunt terms.

Tell folks you’re modernizing support to better serve them by shifting to FaceBook or some such language … anything is better than what they did.

Therein lies the whole problem with BKS: They’re run by idiots and the faces change but the idiocy continues. Those of us who’ve had short positions in BKS thank them for their efforts. We know that it isn’t easy to CONTINUALLY make bad decisions and we are appreciative that they have.

Nate Hoffelder September 2, 2017 um 11:05 am

It’s probably a corporate solution, so it costs a lot more than the open-source forums used elsewhere.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it cost them $50k a year.


Paul Biba’s eBook, eLibrary, eMuseum and ePublishing news compilation for week ending Friday, September 2 | The Digital Reader September 8, 2017 um 10:01 am

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