January 22, 2011

Google Navigation Bar Switch

Google made a small change to the navigation bar used for its non-search services: the link to Google Reader was moved to the "more" drop-down, while the link to Picasa Web Albums was brought back to the main bar. At some point, both links were included in the main bar.


Google's Brian Rose said that the Picasa Web team is working on "some fun stuff" and we'll hopefully see some important changes in the near future. Meanwhile, Google Reader's team posted on Twitter that "the Reader link at the top of Gmail (and other sites) was accidentally removed. It's coming back soon, we promise."

It's still surprising to see that Google's navigation bar is not customizable and you can't add your favorite Google services. Google tested a customizable bar back in 2006, but this feature was quickly abandoned.

Update: A few days later, the link to Google Reader is back.


{ Thanks, Karol and Kristian. }
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31 comments:

  1. ivan101January 22, 2011 at 3:19 AM

    FAIL!
    return google reader back!

    ReplyDelete
  2. S.SJanuary 22, 2011 at 3:43 AM

    Lol @ivan101

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2011 at 4:00 AM

    Must be different for google apps because in gmail (for google apps) there is only Mail Calendar Documents Sites and under More are just two items: Groups and Contacts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Guilherme NoronhaJanuary 22, 2011 at 4:25 AM

    To me it's been under the More menu for a long time. What they did now was move the Reader link to the second row and put the Photos link in the first row.

    http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/9954/capture1yx.png

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mrrix32January 22, 2011 at 5:13 AM

    Reader is probably my most used site. Followed by Gmail.

    I noticed instantly when it disappeared from my Gmail bar. I need it back!

    ReplyDelete
  6. JoskeQJanuary 22, 2011 at 5:14 AM

    Why not put all the links at top of Gmail, or at least make it user configurable.
    Btw I never understood why Google Bookmarks is nowhere to be found, not even under the 'even more' section ????

    ReplyDelete
  7. PaulRJanuary 22, 2011 at 5:58 AM

    I'd love to see Google Books put on the navigation bar itself, instead of within the "more" section. I search Google Books all the time, but rarely if ever have I searched in Google Reader.

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  8. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2011 at 6:38 AM

    Picasa web needs to see more than "some fun stuff", there are a lot of serious problems with it.

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  9. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2011 at 7:24 AM

    Google should have a different navigation bar for different users based on what services they use frequently.

    Here in India, they show Orkut in the navigation bar. O R K U T! Indians have moved on. Though to the crappier alternative Facebook.

    I would love to see new features in Picasa Web as I am on my way to switch from Flickr to Picasa this year.

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  10. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2011 at 9:05 AM

    "It's still surprising to see that Google's navigation bar is not customizable and you can't add your favorite Google services."

    Yes, this boggles my mind.

    ReplyDelete
  11. JodiJanuary 22, 2011 at 10:52 AM

    I can't believe there still isn't a way to customize your favorites! I miss having the Reader link and will be happy to see its return.

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  12. Just Two WordsJanuary 22, 2011 at 11:38 AM

    This change is ridiculously short sighted by Google. If they can't figure out how to allow this simple menu to be customized by the user, then track the most popular Google services I use and put it there systemically. This change was likely made by some committee who has entered the analysis paralysis domain.

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  13. UnknownJanuary 22, 2011 at 1:57 PM

    Yep, this ruined my week. It's some kind of cognitive friction, makes me stutter around looking for the link I click at least 10 times each day. I hope they bring it back soon.

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  14. RodislavJanuary 22, 2011 at 2:45 PM

    get the reader back please

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  15. UnknownJanuary 22, 2011 at 7:26 PM

    We need the Reader back!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ali - YumVeggieBurgerJanuary 23, 2011 at 10:40 AM

    I wish they would say WHEN it's coming back... "soon" is not terribly comforting!

    ReplyDelete
  17. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2011 at 5:27 PM

    Please bring the Reader link back to the main view. Reader is the only other link I use other than gMail.

    Do those who made this change have any stats that back up their need to make idiotic changes like this?

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  18. divercalJanuary 23, 2011 at 10:55 PM

    yup throwin my 2 cents in too...just make the navigation bar customizable please....lets stop the useless mouse clicks for things we use the most...oh and have bookmarks open up to a larger window so we don't have to search thousands of links and folders withe the scroll wheel just open bookmarks to the whole page sheesh a browser issue i know...posted on another google forum but need to raise awareness of the issue...

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  19. AnonymousJanuary 24, 2011 at 12:41 AM

    Eventually I want customizable navigation bar. But now I want Reader back where it was!!!

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  20. AnonymousJanuary 24, 2011 at 7:59 AM

    I have my home page(s) in Firefox set with one page always open to Reader and Gmail, etc. I would rather do that and use the links at the top for LESS often used pages.

    One vote for customizable, here!
    john3

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  21. pdelongJanuary 24, 2011 at 8:17 AM

    A customizable nav-bar would be nice - I could add Google Voice to it, since it doesn't seem like they will ever get around to it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. JeffJanuary 24, 2011 at 9:27 AM

    Next to gmail, reader is the feature I use most, and I used to use the Reader link in the nav bar, many times a day. Now the extra click is annoying (minor, but still)

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  23. Wade StewartJanuary 24, 2011 at 9:49 AM

    Customizing that top bar would be incredibly valuable to me.

    ReplyDelete
  24. robJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:03 AM

    Put Reader Back

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  25. EtienneJanuary 24, 2011 at 2:19 PM

    Yeah Incredible. They should know what I use everyday.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Angelo GiuffridaJanuary 24, 2011 at 6:05 PM

    My Gmail now shows both Photos and Reader in the bar at the top (making it 6 in total) - http://awesomescreenshot.com/0986f154a

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  27. Des SpeedJanuary 24, 2011 at 11:51 PM

    HURRAY......
    Reader is back on my navigation bar
    Thank you

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  28. ☻January 25, 2011 at 9:28 AM

    ?

    ReplyDelete
  29. UnknownJanuary 25, 2011 at 2:37 PM

    The Chrome browser extension Minimalist Gmail allows you to customize the navigation bar to your liking including links to non-Google sites. Check it out, it's the most comprehensive Gmail interface customizer I have found and soon they are coming out with a similar extension for Calendar.

    If you use Chrome and live in web Gmail, you should definitely check this extension out. And, no, they didn't pay me for this endorsement.

    ReplyDelete
  30. AnonymousFebruary 16, 2011 at 6:56 PM

    I hate the change. . . if you have multiple gmail account set up, it now takes three mouse clicks and two unnecessary movements to switch accounts. It used to take two clicks and one movement. It may not sound like much, but if you use 2 or more accounts frequently, and switch back and forth all the time, it gets real annoying fast.

    ReplyDelete
  31. AnonymousJune 28, 2011 at 9:20 PM

    gone again :(

    ReplyDelete

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