14 DAY TRIAL // While the Google Reader redesign has seen plenty of critics, some warranted some not, it looks like Google is listening to the feedback and, at least in some cases, is making the necessary changes.
One things that Reader users found annoying was the new share system. Not so much the fact that it used Google+ but the fact that they had to +1 a feed entry before they could share it on Google+.
This was not only highly unintuitive, it also coerced users into doing something that they may not have wanted to just to be able to share something interesting with friends.
"For my fellow Reader users: with the new Share button introduced this afternoon (see screenshot), you can share items directly with your circles on Google+, without having to +1 it first. This update has now rolled out to all Google Reader users. If you don’t see it, refresh your browser," Google's Louis Gray announced, on Google+ of course.
The change should by anyone that actually uses Google Reader to share things. Chances are, most Reader users have already set up a Google+ profile, so the share feature comes in handy for them.
But having to first +1 the entry must have been a deterrent for many users. Liking something, which is what a +1 symbolizes, is not the same as sharing something.
There are plenty of cases where you'd want to +1 something, to indicate your support and recommendation publicly, but you wouldn't actively share it with some one.
The other way around is even more true, there are plenty of things you'd share with a few friends but that you wouldn't necessarily want to shout out to the world that you like or 'recommend.'
Still, if there's one thing that Google has shown in since launching Google+ is that it's very carefully listening to feedback and is not taking any chances with its social network.