If you have been following a recent event on a Blogger or Posterous blog via Google Reader, chances are that you might have noticed the near-instantaneous delivery of a published post. Yes, Google Reader has sped up; posts from blogs that use the open PubSubHubbub (PSHB) protocol for publish/subscribe communications are put up instantaneously on Google Reader. This is great news for those who wish to follow a current development closely without delays!

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Though it has always been a source of disappointment to many Google Reader users, the company did not address the complaint of late delivery till now. Google, however, is yet to officially state anything in this regard, though a Google spokesperson confirmed this development ^[2]. PubSubHubbub is used by Google itself (and Blogger by extension) via Feedburner and the App Engine. WordPress users can install a PSHB plugin ^[3] to their blog to enable this functionality.

We are still waiting for an official confirmation, as stated before. The official blog still has the recommendations post ^[4] up, and it is likely to stay there for a couple of days as Google irons out any issues with real-time support. Nevertheless it is heartening to see the speedy delivery now in Google Reader. Kudos to Google!