When Google launched Buzz on an unsuspecting public a few weeks ago, I don’t think anyone was prepared for the backlash it would unleash. I actually felt sorry for them – they made a mistake, admitted it quickly and made changes, even though Buzz has gone down as one of the least impressive internet apps in recent times. My friends don’t find it interesting because their friends don’t, I’m not interested because they’re not interested, and so on. It’s a vicious circle. A boring vicious circle…
It wasn’t a major fail, however, and Google and their ill-fated enterprise had all but faded from my mind. That is, until this morning, when I opened up Google Reader. Google Reader Play? The intro screen looked good, so I pressed Get Started.
Let’s just get something straight. I have various Reader accounts, and this one is just for work. Of course, Reader doesn’t know that, but from scanning my content and starred items, it should have picked up that this account is solely technology-focused. The first item? Some hilarious misheard lyrics. Um okay, next item! A picture of an underwater engagement. It was then that I decided I have work to do, and closed the page. I don’t want to be a Scrooge: some of the content is interesting, but lots of it is garbage that has nothing to do with the reason I use Reader.
Presumably, if you have the patience to rate each of the pieces you like, Play learns to select items to your taste. But there’s no “this is rubbish that I never want to see again” button, and not many of us have the time to plow through internet dross to find the gold. In their defense, Google make it very easy to opt out – you just close the little box that appears when you log into Reader – but it feels like Google is getting insecure and throwing everything is has at its users.
I love the fact that Google is innovative and keeps working to be the best, but I’m beginning to feel like a guinea pig. Lay off the crap in my inbox, Google!
