Short Blogger/Google Rant

Since I've missed out on the last few posts and only noticed them now, I really need to express my frustration with Blogger's privacy features.

I read about 30 or so blogs on a daily basis. The only way that's possible for me is because I subscribe to the RSS feeds of each of them in Google Reader. Google owns Blogger now and one of the benefits is that your Google account is tied to your Blogger account, enabling some really neat features (Shared Items for example that you also stick on your blog). Frustratingly, even if you are an authorized contributor or reader for a private Blogger blog (such as our's), you can't utilize the RSS feed within Google Reader. Part of me knows that software development takes awhile, and not every feature is readily available - but this is a complete omission on Google's part. If Google can surveil me, why I can't I surveil myself and subscribe to my own RSS feeds?

I really like Alexander Hayes' short presentation on the potential of RSS to restructure access to information for students. If I'm paying (lots of) money for a course, shouldn't I have a right to be able to access any documented discussion in a method best suited to me?

Anyway, all of my frustration could have been solved by Google allowing email notification for invited readers of private Blogger blogs, but that feature isn't even available. I would suggest using other software for private blogs as a result of all this nonsense. Some options available would be Livejournal or Wordpress which have much more robust privacy settings or open development.