google reader shared items with friends

Google Reader today gets a (creepy) new feature that enables you to see your Google Talk friends’ shared items on Google Reader without subscribing to their Shared item feeds, and they can also see your shared items. I called it creepy because not all my contacts on Google Talk are my friends, and even if for those that are, I might not want them to see my Shared items (though it’s already public to everyone on the Internet). Not that I have anything to hide (I don’t have any shared items), and yes, I support the core idea, but that still makes a bit uncomfortable because you know somebody’s watching you somewhere (”This Is The Internet!”).

Sure, you can remove some of these people, but that also removes them from your Google Talk contact list. It would be better off with an option to opt-out. Nonetheless, it would be great for those that need conversation starter with their friends.