Google Upgrades Google Reader, And Yet Nobody Cared?

Despite the chatter in the blogosphere regarding the search engine king’s embedding of video within Google Reader, the general media seems rather silent over how useful this feature is (not even the ever faithful TechCrunch discussed this…sigh).

For those of you using Bloglines, Kinja, a web/desktop browser to view your favorite pundits or geek blogs, here is Google’s latest scoop on what you may be missing out by using another site reader.

(Google Reader Blog) We have another small update to Reader regarding video. Reader should now show videos from YouTube and Google Video (and a few other sites) that you have embedded in your blog posts and articles. […]
We didn’t want this to be just a Google thing, however, so we also currently support videos from other sites like MySpace, Jumpcut, Grouper, IFILM, Metacafe, Revver, Vimeo, vSocial, and games from Monsters and Critics.

In my honest opinion, feed readers are the glue that keeps the blogosphere informed and active with the day-to-day affairs of what’s happening around the world. By Google embedding video’s (as well as turning audio links into instant podcasts), users will be able to actually enjoy media content without having to visit the blog online.

Although this may hurt the revenues of some bloggers, it will hopefully make reading blogs more enjoyable to the public, especially outside one’s inbox via email.

Now if only Google could figure out how to enable reader to report stats to feed burner correctly, then I’d be all set. ;-)

Darnell Clayton

Darnell Clayton is a geek who discovered blogging long before he heard of the word "blog" (he called them "web journals" then). When he is not tweeting, friendfeeding, or blogging about space, he enjoys running, reading and describing himself in third person.

View Comments (4)

Jeremy Steele says:

January 30, 2007 at 11:10 pm

Small update, but useful nontheless. Main thing I hate (and have always hated) about Google Reader is that it runs slow as heck if you have a ton of posts to read.
Nicholas says:

January 31, 2007 at 1:17 am

I don’t know about the rest of the media, but I am certainly loving Google Reader. It’s very efficient and a great way to manage your feeds.
Aaron B. Hockley says:

January 31, 2007 at 2:57 am

Meh. I hate videoblogging just for the sake of videoblogging (see http://www.anotherblogger.com/2006/08/02/please-no-more-gratuitous-videoblogging/ )

It’s just fine with me that my feed reader isn’t slowed down by a bunch of embedded video junk.
jhay says:

January 31, 2007 at 11:52 pm

Google Reader doesn’t report properly to Feedburner about feed stats? I didn’t know about that before.