For several months now, I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival in my inbox of a Gmail feature to which only some users had access until last week. The feature, known as Gmail Clips, integrates RSS into Gmail making it possible to view microchunks of content at the top of the inbox. When I first learned about it, I was really excited about it and frustrated that I was not included in the initial release.
So when I found out last week that Gmail Clips had been made available to all users, I discovered something I didn't expect: I HATE IT! I find the presence of the constantly-changing feeds irritating, particularly the feed for Spam recipes included in the the Spam filter. It's too clever by half, and it cannot be turned off unless you turn off Gmail Clips entirely. And that is precisely what I have done.
This surprising situation does not diminish my admiration for Google one bit. Every innovator will create things that some people love and others loathe. I love RSS, but not in the way Gmail is incorporating it. Perhaps I'll come to appreciate Gmail Clips in time, but for right now, its been clipped out of my inbox!
