Google Buzz ruined Google Reader for me

I use Google Reader to grab RSS feeds, mostly from online stores so I always see when new items pop up. I’m not interested in what people on my contact list are saying, thinking, or linking. Even though I haven’t spent too much time messing with Buzz / Google Settings, I can’t figure out how to disable it from my account. I’m sure Buzz is useful for some people, but not for me. If I want to read random stuff people I know are saying, I go to Facebook, or worse, Twitter.

I think there’s a few flaws with what Google Buzz is doing. After all, there’s nothing wrong with starting something new. Websites go through cycles, some rise, some fall. But the reason I (and others) don’t like it is because it’s just plain boring and unoriginal (think Orkut). Something like Google Wave or Jumpino being integrated into my email would’ve been neater. Something original. Nobody switches from one website to another that does the same thing. People switch because it does it better, faster, or in a new unique way. Every time I start a web project I try to accomplish at least one of these – and trust me, its a lot harder than it sounds. I do find that uniqueness is sometimes the most efficient choice and also the easiest to market. It’s sort of like the genetic mutation of web dev. It might not be a better website, but it’s different, so people try it, other developers pick and choose what they like, and if its a good idea it lives on in other websites.

And that’s how Noemi notices it.