The changes to Google Reader have me re-evaluating the best way to share and connect with people.

Google Reader's facelift has completely changed the program has left me wondering the best way to share on the internet. 

For those of you that didn't use Google Reader before the overhaul in November, it was once a wonderful RSS Reader that also allowed you to share articles with friends with one click.  For me it was where I read 95% of the internet, as all of my websites were loaded there and updated in real time.  The social aspect was minimal and non-intrusive.  If you wanted to share something you were reading, you could.  The best thing was being able to read what your friends have shared.  You could follow people and they could choose to follow you.  It wasn't a social network where you would weed through status updates and pictures, it was a place to share what you were reading on the web.  And that was it.

Those I followed ranged from good friends to people I have never met but share the same interests.  It was a place for me to share articles about baseball, local music, cooking, and cool things that my friends were up to.  Those I followed did the same.

Google's decision to take the minimal sharing aspect from Google Reader and force users to share everything in their new social network Google+ has taken away a small part of the internet that was special to me.  They also changed the layout of the page that I had grown fond of.  I guess it was more of a tweak to most users, but to me it affected my relationship with the internet and felt personal.  

I have not embraced Google+ yet.  I'm not sure I'm ready to join a new social network.  I wonder if anyone (especially in my age group who have been on Friendster, MySpace, and Facebook) have the energy to move social networks again.  I certainly don't want to be forced to.

This Google+ forced takeover has sounded an alarm in my head that I am getting to a point of over saturation.  I'm actually trying to share a bit less.  I am starting to find the over-sharing (myself included) a bit narcissistic.  When digital cameras became available, I jumped at the chance to chronicle every gathering like the world was going to end and we need proof that we were at a bar in Burbank last Tuesday night.  Not only am I sharing less pictures, I am taking less pictures, preferring to enjoy the moments instead of capturing the moments digitally for all time. 

As for Google Reader, I thank you for a good run.  I want to get better at sharing what is important to me.  That's exactly what Google Reader allowed me to do.