As I was accessing Google Docs this morning I accidentally selected Google Reader. When the page flashed open I noticed I had over 1000 unread items and immediately, guilt rushed through my stomach. “Crap…I haven’t been keeping up on my online reading…another “must do” that has fallen off of the plate.” Slowly, I scanned all of my unread items and realized, “Wait…I have read most of this stuff! I just read it on Facebook instead.”
So there it is, I have officially stopped using Google Reader and migrated over to Facebook. I’m not sure when it happened, but it did. Using friends, colleagues, and liked pages my learning has become crowd-sourced through people I know and care about. I think that’s a good thing. In between status updates, check-ins, and photo uploads, I am using all of you for a little learning too. Now if but I’ll just have to get the authors of a couple favorite sources to link their work through Facebook.
Joe
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Huh? Huh…
Your thinking makes sense — for me it’s Twitter instead of Facebook, though. But I won’t drop Google Reader. I see the two differently. Twitter is where I curate the sharers. Google Reader is where I curate the writers.
Russ-
Interesting – Twitter for the shares and Google Reader for the writers. Because I only have Facebook friends who I also know or at least have met in person once before, there is a personalization that makes the the information feel more valuable to me. Perhaps its because it feels more like a conversation when the information is mixed in with status updates and check ins. While I do have a Twitter account I don’t use it nearly as much. I feel like its too much information all at once. I do find it handy to use and engage with at large-scale conferences though.