In October 2005, Google Reader was launched. And last week, I finally decided to start using Google Reader in earnest. I did this because Noah has been pestering me about it for a while. At the same time, I got curious about the iGoogle changes that were being launched. So I decided to look at both iGoogle and Google Reader.
After three years of using Mozilla’s Live Bookmarks (in Firefox), I’ve come to realize that client-based bookmarks and readers have one big flaw: they are immobile. Google Reader wins because it is network-centric. When I log onto any of the half-dozen systems I routinely use, I can reach the feeds that I am interest in. And I can share these with anyone that wants to see my interests. In short, Google Reader can be part of a portable experience that is not location dependent. In addition, it is part of a much more social experience on the web.
I’ve started to use the RSS feed aggregation, Google Talk integration, and bookmark sharing capabilities of the the product. Right now, my list of friends is small but growing. Once I can seamlessly use my friends and followers from other sources (like Twitter, Last.fm, blip.fm, Friendfeed and ident.ca) then this service will rock.
But for now, my reach is somewhat limited. If you are interested in seeing my shared items in Google Reader, then look me up at cyclingroo@gmail.com.
-Roo