Google Reader: Whassup or Ish Not Think So?

I have to admit that I am totally conflicted about Google's Reader. On one hand, I really like Reader. It's really easy to use and has integrated search so subscribing to feeds couldn't be easier. It has some really nice social features, as well. For example, you can check the link at the top right of this blog and see what articles I am sharing and I can really easily email friends when I read a story I want them to see.

On the other hand I feel conflicted by the amount of guilt I feel each time I log in and see the (100+) indicating that I have a lot of reading to do to keep up. My problem certainly isn't with the product, it does everything it can to make keeping up easier.

My problem (one of them, anyway) is my compulsion to keep up, and to a lesser degree the "RSS Culture" of staying connected. I want to subscribe to feeds on things I am interested in. It is rare when I don't enjoy reading a story arriving via a feed I have subscribed to, but, somehow the very thing making it easier to stay connected, also clearly points the 100+ finger at my poor habits in this regard (as is witnessed by the sparsity of posts on this blog). After all, it can be hard enough to answer all the email I get in a day.

I would still really like to see Google Develop a light version of Reader that works as a widget on the new iPhone. That thing is smoking and I got the sense that we witnessed a watershed moment in tech history today as Mr. Jobs unleashed his blitzkrieg style attack on the phone industry. How must Bill Gates feel right now, sitting in Las Vegas looking at his Zune like the ugly stepchild it truly is?

So how do you deal with this? Do you feel pressure to keep up? Keep a blog? Stay connected? Subscribe to fewer feeds? Leave a comment, let me know...

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