Why Google Reader Needs To Shift From Quantity To Quality Of Features
Aug 19 2009 
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My patience and appetite for Google Reader has been decreasing furiously for months now. Google Reader used to be my “end all be all” for feed reading. I’ve recommended it numerous times to others, but lately Google Reader has become a nightmare. Feedly has come along and showed me a better way to read RSS feeds. But Google Chrome is my default browser, which leaves me stuck with Google Reader most of the time. Today, Google Reader added more fuel to my fire and my disappointment in the service that may cause me to leave it and Google Chrome alone.
Yesterday when I tested Google Reader’s new send-to feature, I was able to access the StumbleUpon page (though I did not stumble anything), but was not able to tweet anything via Google Reader.
UPDATE: It seems Google Chrome was blocking the pop-up to tweet from Google Reader. As I asked at the end of the post: is the Google Reader team fully testing these features before they release them!? Why is Google Chrome blocking pop-ups from Google itself? So much for integration…
/END UPDATE
I immediately gave up on figuring out the cause because Feedly gets the same job done without the hassle and I didn’t feel like playing tech support with Google.
Today I tried to stumble a great article on ReadWriteWeb by Marshall Kirkpatrick about Appsfire, a must-have app sharer for the iPhone using Google Reader’s send-to feature. Again I was disappointed.
Look closely at the top of the image above and you’ll see a 301 error message. This was the result of trying to stumble an article via Google Reader. I was able to duplicate this error with no problem several times. It seems Google is adding in their address to the actual article when stumbling it. But StumbleUpon won’t stumble it. Tsk tsk Google. I’m not alone either.
Let’s recap:
Nightmare #1: I can’t tweet from Google Reader with the new send-to feature.See update above.- Nightmare #2: I can’t stumble from Google Reader using the new send-to feature.
- Nightmare #3: Clean up content duplication before you even think of suggesting I add more content!
I only have one question: did anyone from the Google Reader team test this feature before releasing it? It sure as hell doesn’t seem like it.
Note: If this is a browser problem (meaning no one is having this problem in Firefox, Opera, or Safari and I’m using Google Chrome), then I will completely drop my support for Google Chrome and put up with the mess of a browser that Firefox has made so I can go back consistenly to my rainbows and unicorns in Feedly. If Google can’t support make their own browser, I don’t see why I should continue to either.
HELP!
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You can fix #2 pretty easily….feel free to use it hosted on my server, or host it yourself (code @ http://www.copytaste.com/zb3ca0o1)
URL: http://www.sixteenseven.com/gReader/stumble.php...
Icon URL: http://stumbleupon.com/favicon.ico
The problem is actually not a “google reader address”, the URL format is because RWW uses Feedburner. StumbleUpon should really be the one checking for that sort of thing as it is the end product.
I might be wrong, but I thought a tech blogger would know what a 301 error means.
Now let me explain it to you. A 301 is an HTTP status meaning Permanent redirect (i.e. the resource at the given URL was moved to a different location). The link in your screenshot is a Feedburner URL and it used to replace the original post link when using Feedburner. The reason Feedburner is doing this is for tracking purposes.
The problem you are seeing is in fact a StumbleUpon problem. GoogleReader is fetching a feed where the only URL available is the Feedburner URL. StumbleUpon should be able to figure out that a 301 is not an error but rather a redirect and they should be able to fetch the final URL.
Have fun continuing to blame Google Reader for others' fault,
./alex
PS: There are issues with GoogleReader but you haven't really covered any of those.
Corvida I had the same prob in Opera 10, till I switched off pop-up blocking for greader.
RSS reader companies are just awful. I was using Bloglines – they are stuck in 2004 or around and there beta version doesn't update feeds.
Switched to Newsgator – they are closing this month and suggesting to switch to Greader.
What the hell is going on?
The pop-up from Sent-to was blocked in Opera also.
Maybe it works in Firefox because you already allowed Google Reader to open pop-ups.
I don't agree with your angry tone and don't see much of a problem with the issues you mentioned.
And Google couldn't test that out before releasing the feature to the public?
Thanks for the correction Paul. It seems it would've been too easy to pick up on this problem and issue a statement about it or a workaround from Google.
Please do read my comment. It is a *StumbleUpon* bug. Google Reader has nothing to do with it.
Thanks for the update Alex.
Recently I switched from Google Reader to NewsFox (yes I am using Firefox).
One thing I really liked about NewsFox was the ability to organize my feeds and put them into category specific folders that I created. Something I was not able to do in Google Reader.
Wishing you a scent-sational day!
Patty Reiser
Recently I switched from Google Reader to NewsFox (yes I am using Firefox).
One thing I really liked about NewsFox was the ability to organize my feeds and put them into category specific folders that I created. Something I was not able to do in Google Reader.
Wishing you a scent-sational day!
Patty Reiser