Google Reader Updates to Allow Comments on Shared Items!

Google have just announced an exciting new update to the “sharing” feature, already an established part of Google Reader. The new feature makes it a breeze to comment and discuss shares amongst your friends, colleagues and anyone else on your sharing list.

To view comments for your shares, you need to click on “comment view” which should appear at the top of your “friends shared items” list to the left of the page. Comment View orders your shared items by number of comments. If you see a comment icon on your friend’s profile photo in list view or expanded, it means there area new comments on that particular story.

How do I make a comment?
Simply visit one of your friends shared items and you’ll notice a comment icon at the bottom of the share – simple.

What happens when more than one person shares the same item?
In that case, all the various comments are listed as separate conversations under the story, so you’re not likely to miss any discussion no matter who shared the story first.

That’s not all, you can also read and comment on the iPhone version of the app too!

Implications

The new feature poses a number of questions, with particular regard to bloggers, publishers and content. With comments taking place further and further away from the original source, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of conversations and bring necessary page views to the content provider.

Whether shorter feeds is the answer, ensuring readers visit the sites themselves, or possibly better profit margins for in feed adsense – the solution isn’t clear.

Time will tell how big an effect this new feature will have on publisher page views, but rest assured – if it’s dramatic, expect dramatic reactions too.