A long time ago I gave Google Reader a tryout and ended up running back to Bloglines.

However, given the fact that Google is always updating it’s projects and adding new features to them, a return visit to Google Reader was probably inevitable. This time around I think I’m about ready to give up Bloglines. One of the decisive factors is Google Reader’s Share feature … which makes it ridiculously easy to post interesting links to the blog. Just add the necessary code to a widget and you’re running.

This doesn’t mean the share feature is perfect. It would be nice to have the option of adding a url and title manually … which would come in handy when you want to share only one link from Arts and Letters Daily or when you stumble across the interesting link from a site you don’t want to subscribe to all the time.

Every now and then I run across a person who does not use an RSS reader. If that happens to be you, please try out the linked sites. It will make your online life easier and help you to waste time more efficiently.

These days it seems like I am using certain sites enough that I might want to always keep them available in my Firefox browser and prevent them from closing accidentally. Some of the sites I’m thinking of in this regard are Gmail, Google Calendar and Remember the Milk.

There are two Firefox extension/add-ons that look like they might be helpful in making these sites very immediately and constantly available without much fuss. One is called Permatabs and the other is called Faviconize.

Here is the useful blog post that brought my attention to these add-ons. It provides more specific information (and some images) that show just how useful these add-ons can be.

I was reading some of the comments and help files at rememberthemilk.com and someone suggested tracking habits at joesgoals.com, a site I had never heard of previously. It looks interesting and I’m trying it out.

One of the things I’m liking about rememberthemilk.com is how well it works with Google Calendar and GMail. It helps to fill a gaping hole at Google Calendar, the lack of a to-do list function.

There have been a lot of articles about Facebook in the news lately.

Some writers are suggesting that Facebook will be (or already is) the next big thing in the Internet world. As everyone knows, Google purchased YouTube for a massive mountain of cash. It seems likely that Facebook is attaining a similar level of attention and speculative value due to its popularity.

Of course that kind of popularity and value attracts problems as well as opportunities. The creator(s) of Facebook are currently being sued by some fellow Harvard students who claim their ideas were stolen.

There are also those associated with other prominent sites and applications that want to build a relationship with Facebook. WordPress has released some kind of plugin that allows users to connect their WordPress blogs with Facebook - though the plugin only works for WordPress.com users. This leaves me wondering if a way will be developed for other WordPress users (such as myself).

Because Facebook is getting so much attention, I registered and checked around a little. One of the interesting applications was that Facebook was able to use my Gmail contact list to look for people I already know who have Facebook accounts.

I also found that there’s a “Bloggernacle” category that’s been created within Facebook and so it was fairly easy to find and connect with the LDS bloggers who have signed themselves up as part of that group.

Many of the Facebook features remind me of LinkedIn - it seems to be a very convenient and easy way to find people you’ve known from the past - whether they attended the same high school or university, worked at the same business, lived in the same place, shared the same interest, etc. Also, if you know someone and you share the same friends, it becomes easy to add those shared contacts/friends to your own list.

I wonder though if this is the kind of site where you register, play around a bit, and then not bother going back. Or perhaps it is the kind of site that invites only occasional and casual interaction - unlike email or other applications that a person will use daily.

Note: Matt Mullenweg wrote “I’m really enjoying Pownce” so I signed up for an invite to give it a try.  Now I have six more invites I can offer to others.  So if you want to try it out, let me know in the comments or via email.  Honestly, it just strikes me as one more social networking program.