Google Reader shared backlash Dec26 '07

It seems many Google Reader users are unhappy with the latest feature - the ability to have your GTalk contacts see your Shared items. Here's the entire Google Group thread.

The complaints range from an "invasion of privacy," to... "I was using the Shared feature for other purposes."

I don't see the logic behind the complaints.

When Google Reader first implemented the standard Shared feature (the first version, when you couldn't view your friends shared items) - users had to assume that this would eventually be migrated into something more sociable. If you were intending to populate some sort of private shared stream, you should have used the Starred feature, or even better, create a unique tag!

By default, all Google Reader tags start out as private. Once you make them public, you receive all the benefits of the original Shared feature (the feature people are complaining about, stating that it's now useless):

A public HTTP page.
A public RSS feed.

Both of these are obsfucated (a really long and messy URL so it's not easy to guess) for your own security.

The original Shared feature was nothing more than a permanent tag, included with everyone's copy of Google Reader. You can just as easily create your own tags, and do what you wish.

So I can't understand the backlash, especially since the "workaround" is quite simple.

Categories: Features , Google , RSS , Social Networking , Software

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Absolutely, Matt. When did "share" ever mean "don't let other people see it"? People tech-savvy enough to be talking about "implici ... Read more.

Good thoughts Kevin. Other than the misinterpretation, it's just a matter of understanding how to use Reader! I don't think people underst ... Read more.

matthom is published and produced by Matt Thommes - an independent publishing enthusiast, mobile blogger, content creator, informative writer, web developer from a suburb of Chicago. Never one to conform, Matt intends to promote the effect the web has on our lives, in an effort to intensify, instruct, and clarify all that is happening around us.