When Google updated its Google Reader program earlier this month it expanded the program's features allowing users to share items with Google Chat "friends." Soon after the update Google was blasted by Google Reader users who felt Google shared too much with others.
Google has since modified its sharing feature to appease critics.
This Google SNAFU isn't on par with the Facebook data sharing fiasco, but there are some similar lessons to learned.
Google Reader is a Web-based RSS reader that allows people keep tabs on blogs and news feeds that they subscribe to. With Google Reader you can view subscriptions in one central location. For some time now Google has allowed you to share news feeds and blog posts you were viewing with friends. To do this you would select a "share" option on the Google Reader item in question.
But with its most recent update Google allowed anyone you had chatted with online using Google Chat, Google's instant messaging service, to see all your Google Reader feeds. Naturally that means you could view the feeds of those you've chatted with as well.
In response to the new feature many in the Google Reader blogosphere expressed outrage expressing concern that some feeds were never intended to be shared. After all no one would argue a Google Reader news feed to a 12-step program might be something a private person would want to keep private.
Google responded to criticism quickly giving users more control over what they shared and with whom. But in the world of blogs the damage had already been done.
Google tripped up because it's trying for the umpteenth time to muscle into well established turf - this time it is social networking. What better way to facilitate connecting with friends than sharing personal interests? In this case the personal interests were Google Reader feeds and the answer was wrong!
Google's move is one that mirrors other attempts by the search engine behemoth. Google wants to be your handset and wireless provider, as well as being the next Wikipedia, and the next big social networking platform.
Just as with Google, when Facebook tried to step up its advertising game its inexperience in advertising showed and it tripped up badly.
Granted the Internet landscape has changed completely from back in January 2002, but perhaps Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO should heed some of his own advice. PC World asked Schmidt in 2002: What have you learned from the mistakes of other search engines?
Schmidt's 2002 reply: "One was not to go public too soon. In other words, build a real business. Another was to stay very focused on search. Search companies, which I won't mention by name, tried to do so many things at the same time, they forgot all about search. They either missed the next revolution of search or they created an opening for a Google to enter."
We all know the Google stock success story. I'll let you know in a year if I've got a gPhone in my pocket and if Google is still my browser's start page.
This is quite stupid, I'm a Google Reader user and I know about this feature. You need to invite people for them to read your shared items. It's not something it makes automatically and you choose which ones you want to read your share items and which ones you don't want to, and I don't think I got a different version of this release as this was like a month or perhaps more time ago. So I really don't understand the whole issue as it's you who has to choose from a list from of your chat buddies.