Google Reader's Notes Feature

I've been waiting a long time for the new Google Reader notes feature. What I don't like is the focus on the social angle. Basically, when you create a note, the default is that your note will be shared and viewable by your friends. There is a checkbox to keep the note private, but I think the note should be private by default.

Also, the notes feature could be so much more powerful. I want to keep a searchable database of personal notes for news stories in Google Reader. I've always had a strong desire to record quick initial commentary on news stores in Google Reader so I can come back to my thoughts later and perhaps expand upon them. I want to be able to export those notes sorted by labels to Google Docs to create a printable document.

I mean, how great is it to record notes right alongside the source material. This has always been my dream with eBook readers. Could you imagine being able to write notes electronically in the margins on an eBook reader?

Here's an example of my vision for Google Reader notes. Say you've just bought a bunch of plants for your apartment. You come across a New York Times article on the best way to water plants. You think this might be a good idea for your plants, so you write a few quick notes about having to buy a new watering can, etc. Then a few days later, you come across a Wired article about a new gadget that measures the amount of sunlight hitting your plants. You also write a quick note to check out Amazon.com for this gadget and to also move one of your plants to a south-facing window. You also tag each of these posts with a label like "Plants." When you felt like it, you could come back later to the topic of your plants and revisit both these posts viewable in a personal book dedicated to to plants complete with source material (created by labeling each with "Plants").

Anyways, I think the notes feature is a big step in the right direction. Let's hope they keep adding features.