My notes yesterday on 10 ways Google Reader could be improved seem to have struck a nerve in the tech community. Offering what I believe to be simple updates to an already strong and very popular tool could turn the RSS reader program from arguably one of the best to the level of elite. The conversation on this topic, on what could have been a lazy Sunday in the blogosphere, elevated my Web traffic to above six times the daily average, and gained feedback from some of the most notable technology pundits out there, as well as some smaller folks with interesting insight. In fact, I was elated to see the post summarized in Portuguese - which hinted to me it'd crossed some sort of barrier.Edelman's Steve Rubel, author of Micro Persuasion, led off the linking last night with a quick "Google, ya listening?".
The piece got more traction on Digg than any other post I'd offered, getting a dozen or so Diggs. Regardless of quality, it seems I can't clear a handful, given the site's lack of brand recognition, but this signaled more broad appeal.
The esoteric "Library Stuff" noted the piece, saying "I’m still in love with Google Reader." but adding I had "a few ideas."
Things reached a fever pitch when two of the tech heavies weighed in. TechMeme picked up the story late this evening, resulting in an onrush of traffic. Robert Scoble noted the piece in a summary on the potential overload of social media. He adds, "I should make a list too!" Let's hope he does.
Scoble's notes always lead to more conversations, as his book "Naked Conversations" suggested they would. The blog "Capture the Conversation" weighed in later, saying Google would "be the sickest RSS client", calling my notes "good and pretty comprehensive", adding his call for authenticated feed support and server side sessions. Too geeky for me. :-)
Additional comments can be seen on the original story, including better integration with Google News, unsubscribed feeds lying dormant, and password authentication.
It's been a fun day watching a conversation rather than a echo chamber. I can't wait to kick off the next one.