Everything started with a feed parser built by Chris Wetherell that turned into a feed reader, helped by Ben Darnell, Laurence Gonsalves, and Mihai Parparita. The product was launched in 2005 as a Google Labs project and it was significantly improved one year later, when the Google Reader team launched a completely new version. Over the years, Google Reader integrated with iGoogle, added social features and handled feed serving for all Google products. Back in 2007, Google Reader crawled 8 million feeds and 70% of the traffic was from Firefox users.
In 2011, Google removed Reader's social features and replaced them with a Google +1 button. It was the beginning of the end for Reader, who lost all the engineers from the original team. Google Reader is in maintenance mode ever since then.
While feeds are no longer important for many users and browsers start to drop support for reading feeds, social networks make newsfeeds popular and mobile apps like Flipboard simplify reading the news. Feeds are now a behind-the-scenes technology and full-fledged feed readers seem outdated.
"We know Reader has a devoted following who will be very sad to see it go. We're sad too. There are two simple reasons for this: usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we're pouring all of our energy into fewer products. We think that kind of focus will make for a better user experience," says Google's Alan Green.
It's hard to find a replacement for Google Reader, since Google Reader was the most popular feed reader and the competition couldn't keep up with it. You can still find some web-based feed readers, but none of them is as good as Google Reader. Congratulations to everyone who worked on the Reader team and thanks to all the people who subscribed to this blog in Google Reader.
Here's Google Reader's team from 2007:
Sad news :/
ReplyDeleteIt's ok Google, no biggie. Please, do pour all of your energy into a useless social network and ridiculous glasses with no real world usability. It's for the best. We understand.
ReplyDeleteIt must suck for this blog to have to take Google's side on topics like this. Must make you wonder if it's even worth it.
ReplyDelete"Feeds are now a behind-the-scenes technology and full-fledged feed readers seem outdated" I mean yikes not everyone likes seeing 1% of their news as it scrolls by.
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DeleteI have to agree. I think Feed Readers are the tool of the power user who are the minority. The majority of people are satisfied with Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and other aggregates but where do the people that post to those places get their news. RSS feeds are efficient.
DeleteI moved to Newsblur, the end of Google Reader does not mean the end of RSS feeds. I got this article by being subscribed to its RSS feed.
There's plenty of alternatives to Chrome but not real good alternative to Google Reader. Very disappointed.
ReplyDeleteFeedly = good alternative, and BETTER than Google Reader (once you get used to it).
DeleteSign the petition. Maybe they'll listen... http://www.change.org/petitions/google-keep-google-reader-running
ReplyDeleteAnd this one :)
Deletehttps://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/officially-request-behalf-citizens-united-states-google-reverse-its-decision-shut-down-reader/VRZTd72L
I am not American, Neither is a very large percentage of the world. Having a US only petition seems stupid.
DeleteI am thinking about leaving all google all together.
ReplyDeleteThen this article will be handy for you - http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-quit-using-google/
DeleteAfter all these years it's really hard to leave, for example, Gmail. But it's not hard at all not to commit to any of their services as long they don't guarantee their continuity. Next Google Wave? It doesn't matter what it looks like, just don't use it until you have absolute certainty that they're not going to close it.
DeleteI am an IT consultant with 20 years of experience. How can I recommend my customers to start using Google Docs? To invest time and resources in migrating to Google Apps? To develop in Google Apps Engine? To use Google+? What kind of guarantee do I have for those investments? Absolutely none.
You may say what you want about Microsoft, and it will almost certainly be true, but they don't treat their customers this way. Maybe it's just Microsoft doesn't do things in this new "cloud way", so it's easier for them to manage this kind of situations, but truth is Microsoft would never leave you hanging like this. They discontinue products, of course, but they don't leave you out of alternatives like this.
Given this news, who in their right mind would now even consider embracing Google+? Is there anyone who is absolutely sure that Google+ will remain active in, say, 5 years time? Of course not.
Stop experimenting with us, Google, make up your mind about what you want to do, how much you want us to pay for it AND STICK WITH IT. No more Google Waves.
Absolutely right, from now one nobody should recommend google services to their customers anymore. It gets too risky.
DeleteBtw, from above: "..Google +1 button. It was the beginning of the end..."
Well, the nice thing about Google is they don't lock your data into their services. So even if one of those apps you mentioned does get the axe, I know I'll still be able to export my data to another service. As for Reader, it took me all of 1 minute to transition to feedly. I'm sad to see Reader go, but at least Google lets me take my data with me.
DeleteGreat product. Loyal users (who wouldn't care that much if they put some more ads in there. No dev costs. Minimal maintenance costs.
ReplyDeleteWTF Google... Sell it if you don't want it. Don't make every user try to work out how to deal with a shutdown in three months without any easy options out.
[yes, what really annoys me is the three trillion 'starred' items I didn't get to yet...]
I think exporting your Reader subscriptions will export those starred items too. But I'm not sure.
DeleteOr start charging for the service, I would gladly pay right now for it.
DeleteNow I'm sure. It WILL export them but you can't use them in other feed readers as they only accept subscriptions and not your starred items. And starred items are in different file and not with subscriptions xml file.
DeleteThis is sad news :/ but it also opens ways for me to look for others. As because of Google Reader I was not thinking of any other. Though I have used Feed Demon, Snarfer and some web based feed readers but I kept coming back to Google Reader as it was in some ways better than them. One of the most important advantage of Google Reader is that you have your feeds whenever you want and neatly arranged. It archives feeds so that even if source content is deleted you can still access them. I will be happy and sad at the same time.
ReplyDeleteNo dev cost isn't true, Google services have to be kept up to date as the back ends they rely on have older interfaces deprecated and removed.
ReplyDeleteThe worst part about this is that everyone else appears to have conceded the market to Google.
not possible, not possible. cannot survive without it. the ultimate rss reader.
ReplyDeleteWhen Google announced they were shutting down iGoogle I searched for an alternative and settled on NetVibes.
ReplyDeleteThe amazing thing I discovered though was that NetVibes in Reader mode was way better than Google Reader!!! I came for the widgets, and stayed for the feed reader!!!
So now I have two Dashboards in NetVibes: a "Homepage" for my widgets (weather, news, calendar, etc.); and a "Reader" for my feeds.
really???? whyy??!!! >_< :'(
ReplyDeleteClosing down the dominant reader. Why should I trust any google application to be there in the future? I'm going to look elsewhere for my on line storage etc.
ReplyDeletefeedly - the reader app that connected to google reader works on a solution to make a seamless transition to their own system. So if you already use feedly you might keep all your stuff. And that would be great.
ReplyDeletebtw did someone ever use Google Wave or this other social network/twitter thing? :)
While the giants buy innovations, why don't they give it back if they are not interested in it anymore?!
It's ridiculous to let it die.
That really pisses me the #$%* OFF! What happened to not being evil?!?!
ReplyDeleteWhy kill the good thing?
ReplyDeleteIf you don't want to support it anymore, just leave it as is!
Wow, time to make a backup plan for the rest of your services. Calendar will probably be next.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletewhat? are u crazy Google? plz No!!! don't do it! it's the third best service that u have (search, gmail are the others)
ReplyDeletekill docs or calendar instead
:(((((((((((((((((((
You know how many schools would be hurting if they killed docs?!
DeleteWhat is wrong with you? There is no chance they will kill docs or drive or gmail.
DeleteGoogle is making it damn hard to be a Google fanboy. First you fuck up Google Shopping by prostituting it, then iGoogle, not as bad a death, but still. Now Reader? You MFs, WTF?
ReplyDeleteNow I'm really concerned. I'm in KCMO, will be getting Google Fiber in 6 months. What happens in a few years when Google decides it's tired of Fiber and screws us? Shit. Google, you and Microsoft and f'ing Apple are all the evil f'ing triumvirate of tech!
Chill out, mate.
DeleteThe whole reason they did this was to make services like Fiber, Docs and Drive better. When they sort those products out they'll find a way to make it up to you. Be patient. Google loves you.
Unbelievable. OK, don't support it but leave it running. I don't understand how else one can keep up with the internet...
ReplyDeleteMajor, major bummer. I have 300+ feeds and could access them via the web or my Android phone.
ReplyDeleteThis is seriously terrible ....
ReplyDeleteGoogle what you do? I think leave all google services after that news. Google don't be evil
ReplyDeleteThis is probably the saddest I have ever been on the Internet. I am not sure my online life can adequately survive without GReader.
ReplyDeleteCome on, Google, don't do that! Many people use this service!
ReplyDeleteWhy don't they turn Google Reader into a community-supported open source project?
ReplyDeletewhat the heck!!! I mean how was thisnot popular.. it was my every single day reader that ive used on my PC as well as my Android devices. Seriously google????
ReplyDeleteI guess I will have this for my memories
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4079/4959920847_09a8b25b34_z.jpg
I am disappointed. I wasn't thrilled about loosing iGoogle but that was just my personal preference but I use Google Reader as part of my job. Its a great way to keep track of the blogs, topics and people I follow. This really sucks and now I need to spend energy finding a replacement instead of just working.
ReplyDeleteTim Lorang
Sad news :/
ReplyDeleteOnly one thing kept me with you, Google - absolutely unique Reader. I'm very, very disapointed too.
ReplyDeleteSo so sad. My time on the internet will decrease and my productivity time at work will increase :-(
ReplyDeleteWhat should I do in my spare time when I don't have google reader?
I guess having kids is the next step for time consuming.
As some have pointed out, there isn't really a good alternative. Pretty nasty of Google to leave us high and dry like this.
ReplyDeleteI use Reader everyday. This is a bastard of an act. With all the money you have you cant keep reader? I'm royally pissed off with you.
ReplyDeleteFlipping through the headlines only and drilling into only to stories you realy care. That's the strong and wide habit for many.
ReplyDeleteMany people don't use social networks or staff like flipboard for following blogs and news just because that - they can't flip through the headlines only. Like many news websites Google reader doing this. Its very important for me too. For many people.
How will we do it now?
I'm really disappointing that you're killing reader. It's the only way I read the most of internet. I just don't get the point. I'm going to be wary of using google products in the future because of this.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame Reader has to go; it's the single Google tool that I have used most for at least 7 years now. Kudos to the Reader team for making it was it is: simple and very usable.
ReplyDeleteNooo. I use it since September 2006 like hourly.
ReplyDeleteYou guys must have gone crazy to do stuff like that....
ReplyDeletethats the most awesome google product ever ......
A major mistake. Reader is excellent for quickly scanning lots of feed headlines and zooming in on a few of interest. It's a major part of my day and I'm a heavy web user.
ReplyDeleteI hate social and twitter isn't nearly as good because you have to read through every message...much more time-consuming.
It's corporations lobby. If we're using rss readers we don't go to their websites and don't see the ads...
ReplyDeleteCiekawy punkt widzenia.
DeleteFor an alternative to Google Reader, try out Feed Fiend, available at http://feedfiend.com. It has a simple interface and a one-click subscribe tool that makes it easy to keep up with feeds. It also has a filtering tool to find keywords in your feed. It is totally free, so go give it a try.
ReplyDeleteAaron Wright, FeedFiend.com
I practically *live* in Google Reader, it is my main hub on the internet. How sad. Unfortunately, there is no alternative.
ReplyDeleteGoogle you must be kidding!
ReplyDeleteI use many of your products, the most is reader. But your frequent changes in products, killing the products like Reader helped me decide to switch to the competition.
nooooo.... really sad sad news.
ReplyDeleteso light/sync/useful .... try so many reader, come back always to google reader
My morning routine was: Launch browser, read mail, open up Google Reader. Every single day.
ReplyDeleteWay to go, Google.
:-(
ReplyDeleteHow funny is that. Yesterday I was searching for a way to remove duplicates RSS entries from Google Reader - all of you might know this pain - today, they announce to shut down the service.
ReplyDeleteNo way, that the reason having too few users is true. I guess there is something else behind it. However, why don't they over an alternative?
WISHED they make Google Reader open source for everyone so we can use it on our own servers!
WHAT? NO MORE GOOGLE READER?
ReplyDeleteGoogle: ARE YOU CRAZY?
How I'm supposed to keep up with the news?
Google reader changed the way I search for news!
Google reader changed the way I surf the web.
With Google reader I can look efficiently at an enormous amount of news, all in one place.
Hey Google, do you really mean that I need to back to the old habit of opening a website, looks for news, open another website, looks for news.... but, hey, I have more than 500 RSS feed in my Google reader, How Can I open 500 website? I can't...
So, not having Google Reader will slow down by a a factor of no less than 10 my ability to surf the news, to surf the net, to keep up with interesting things...
Google reader is 100% news, 100% interesting things, 100% efficiency!
And Google is trowing that out of the window... :-(
This is so sad.
Once upon a time I was using an offline feed reader, it was not bad... but then I discovered Google reader, so much faster, so much better!
Do I really need to find another offline RSS feed reader? does they still exist?
Why are you doing that Google? WHY?!?
Please, please, please, keep Google Reader running!
Feels like I lost a part of myself now ... ;-(
ReplyDeleteWTF ?!
ReplyDeleteThat's too much for me.
I'm tired of migrating my data when Google decide to close a service without any valid reason.
Google Reader is, after GMail, the Google Product I use more and I'm not alone: my collegues too.
No more Google services anymore for me: too risky!
Google, you disappointed me once again.
This one is tha last: Good Bye !
So sad, Google Reader was a good product.
Really no more Google raeder? I have a feeling thata the Google executive team is doing more than "spring cleaning." I have Google reader installed, but I don't ever use it. Never liked it all that much.
ReplyDeleteIf google reader is killed, it does mean that Google does not care about its users... It's a strong signal sent by google : "Don't be too dependant with our services, because we can stop them whenever we want, we don't care about you".
ReplyDeleteGoogle, the message is received.
Very sad news. Reader was really usefull
ReplyDeleteToo bad. I really, really like Reader. It's a program I use daily and for many hours. I will miss it very much.
ReplyDeleteThnx you guys for a great product!!!
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ReplyDeleteso sad... Reader is basically my homepage. That's my central hub for checking what's new on the part of the net that interests me...
ReplyDeleteSimplicity, ease of use, speed... couldn't ask for more.
I don't understand why Google who wants me to do everything in their ecosystem would make a choice to start trying to kick me out. First iGoogle and now worse Google Reader gone. Why can't they just let it sit there? I've never had any issues with it and we're not asking for new features. Just let it continue as is. How hard would that be?
ReplyDeleteThis does not seem like something Google would do. But it does seem like something Scroogle would do!
ReplyDelete"It's hard to find a replacement for Google Reader, since Google Reader was the most popular feed reader and the competition couldn't keep up with it." So why the HECK would you shut it down?! Please reconsider!!!
ReplyDeleteVery bad news. Reader was my main tool for viewing and receiving news. I previously had an offline reader but loved Google Reader as it kept my multiple systems in sync.
ReplyDelete"...It's hard to find a replacement for Google Reader, since Google Reader was the most popular feed reader and the competition couldn't keep up with it...."
I have looked at the "new" feeders like flipboard but for me they fail how is it possible to scan hundreds of articles efficiently? Today I only look at the title and click if interested, I use reader as index or table of contents.
The newer RSS ideas try to deliver a newspaper and instead of say thirty single line articles on a page they get maybe five. So I need to spend longer trying to find those dozen articles in a feed of hundreds that I want to spend time reading.
The reason why lots of people use reader is it works for how we, the users, want it to. No bells and whistles, just efficient information delivery. I certainly cannot see myself using any of the social media platforms to replace Reader as I will never find the news I want.
Gutted and slightly edging towards angry that Google is just going to nuke its Reader product despite a large following that use it every single day, especially without even providing some sort of alternative suggestion. They really need to reconsider this until an actual better solution comes along. Social is too messy (plus it's not possible to move my feeds to any social accounts).
ReplyDeleteI actually support Google doing this. RSS feeds are getting somehow old and it was obvious that something is not quite right here. It was to be expected (in a weird way).
ReplyDeleteI was mainly subscribed to google's blogs on GReader(ironic). If closing of reader means I will not get to read news about Google, so be it. I will or will not find another way.
New ways of 'getting' stuff from internet are coming/have already come.
I thing that reading RSS feeds is basically concentrating on the parts, rather than on the wholeness of the websites. It's like a third party service that doesn't have(provide) the real qualiy of websites/blogs themselves. And I think that we should concentrate on the wholeness/quality, no matter what. I think that websites should provide a way for us 'following' their content, in an (kind of) RSS way, but not RSS. At this moment, on twitter there is follow, on google+ there is circle/follow. But if websites want us to 'follow' them, they should provide BETTER content that they do today, because I think that the content they provide today is mostly not suitable for everyone. Maybe some people just don't want to be so (damn) SOCIAL. Like me-I am all about REAL privacy, and on today's internet, there is like, no privacy at all, at least when it comes to facebook. I also want to mention that I am not comfortable with google's +1 feature, because it's all PUBLIC at it's just not acceptable. Google expects us to provide our real names, and to feel safe on internet and all, but it's just too soon for that. Because at this moment, the web is a BITCH. The crimes happening in today's world are just too damn awful. Because of this, I actually want to give google the authority to prevent those crimes from happening. But this is just way too much off-topic for now.
Maybe the "follow-allowing" websites don't provide enough content. Maybe the content it's too social for everyone. Maybe some new companies should emerge from this, some new ways of getting to read stuff that you care about. I don't know. But I know, I can live without GReader, or RSS, for now. RSS's future doesn't look good to me.
The future is is not known, just as we didn't know they will shut reader down.
But I am glad, because if they think the service they're providing is low quality, then I don't want to USE their low quality service either.
Believe me, if they think they could do something out of Google reader, they would. It wouldn't matter at all if not many people are using service. I somehow feel that it's right to shut it down.
I also think that no one should have, like 500 feeds in their subscriptions.. that is way too much and "unnatural".
Someone said they have 3000 starred items. When exactly were you planning on reading those items?
Let's see where web will take us in the future..or at least, let's see what google had in mind when we come to this question. cause I don't know.
With RSS(Google reader), it was kind of incomplete/unwhole way to 'follow'.
And without RSS, something needs to improve/change. Because I am not all that happy with ways to follow without RSS, today. The future will tell us.
Today, I will quit GReader, and I will start using some other online-based feed reader, but later on, who knows?
Dude,you must be some little IT-scholar who always annoyed by the fact that little fishes can't compete to big fishes.
DeleteMost of us are NOT happy that 1 of the main softwares of G will be killed.So,try to be not happy either.
For many of us it's not unnatural to have dozens of subscriptions.Also not natural to have many thousand starred items.Imagine....if those were starred,then they have already read :D.Millions of people are reading thru GR for YEARS.And this would continued - at most of us - till the rest of our lives.But G got mad as always and just simply kills it.
Yes,i do believe the blog part will share the same fate in the near future.Many blogs are inactive.Memoirs of past thoughts,feelings,pictures etc.But they all important.Still.And great to find them on the net.You think everything should be erased in the name of everything must change ??? I hope not and i hope you agree with me.
Don't go to china shop with axes in your hands,please.
I think dozens of subscriptions are a normal number. And if you've read all those starred things, that just fine and ok. Now you have an option to choose a new reader. That shouldn't be too painful. I think that you can export everything, even starred items and import them somewhere else. Sure there are no "real" reasons for discontinuing reader, and surely that this change(transition) will be hard for many.
DeleteI don't think that anything should be deleted in the name of that things should change(improve).
We have right to hate google for this. I'm just saying, the transition won't be hard, for me
Dudey,where to ? Where to transport all our starred,shared,noted etc items ? We can save them in json files.You want us to import these to FFox ? I try to keep FFox bookmarked items and feeds as low as possible.My browser needs speed to use it.What are the choices ?
DeleteI am sorry but I have no idea.... There should be some normal alternative out there.. if there isn't, you are screwed.
DeleteThis is the weirdest service by far that they decided to discontinue. Who knows, maybe they will change their mind.
Maybe the blogs are dying too.. I mean, look at all those google's blogs. Something is weird about it all. And it need's to unite, in a way unknown to me. Maybe the future will integrate blogs into social networks (not just with them), url style, so there isn't something like:
ReplyDeletegmailblog.blogspot.com/
insidesearch.blogspot.com/
adsense.blogspot.com/
..but it will be something like this:
https://plus.google.com/+Gmail/blog/
https://plus.google.com/+AdSense/blog/
I actually believe this is going to happen, in a few years future.
Maybe the twitter will die, maybe google+ will die, but google won't, facebook will die hopefully, lol.
Or at least Chrome will start hiding url's somehow because they are ugly. I don't know. Too much thinking. Goodbye. I will add your blog to Netvibes, NewsBlur or Feedly.
ReplyDeleteHow can we trust Google any more? How can we know that Google says "I'm bored from Android or Gmail. I ain't develop it." Is Google a company that can't stand behind his products?
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteGod damn you Google! You want to screw with all of us.You just wanna flush millions of users down ? I need a correct explanation!!! Facebook will continue the project or what ? I hope you don't want to induce heartattacks in us.
ReplyDeleteTell the truth!!!
Goodbye Google. I'm leaving today.
ReplyDeleteActually, I will go without a feed reader at all and see how it's supposed to be done. I saw that you post a link to every blog post on google+; that is a nice way to follow. Either that, or email subscription option for every new post (that is also a good alternative). You should incorporate that into your blog somehow, so that you get a sidebar like this blog has: http://buzz.blogger.com/ (There is an email subscription option on the right side, and I think every blog should have that option.)
ReplyDeleteBut in the future (on G+) I think you will have social content in "Posts" tab and blog posts in "Blog" tab. And I think you should have an option to not even display Posts(social) tab, or any tab for that matter, if you don't want to.
I mean, you know of the new YouTube tab in google+?
The whole thing(transformation) already began, and we are in the middle of it, or maybe more like beginning.
Is usage of Reader so much lower than iGoogle that Google gave a year and a half warning for iGoogle but just 3 months for Reader? I find that hard to believe.
ReplyDeletewhat's wrong with you people? i really love and respect google, but canceling google reader is the worst decision ever made so far. whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, there's not even a good alternative for google reader, what's wrong with those people? besides, i really like starring items and reading them later on an online account that i can access them anytime any where without software. seriously, what's wrong with you people?
ReplyDeleteWhy not close Picasa instead, not a lot of people use that site (I mean Picasa Web) specially now that people are being redirected to Google+.
ReplyDeleteWhich begs the question why should I use and spent time with any of Googles products when you might just lose interest in them and turn them off.
ReplyDeleteSad news, kill off one of your most useful and better products.
I am really sad about this. Gmail and Reader are a team for me. I work a lot of hours a day and this is my only way to be informed with everything from tech news, home recipes, fashion blogs and friends blogs. Seriously I really think there is a way to save this amazing feature. One of the things that I love the most is that no one ever block google reader in offices, like they do with other social media places, like facebook and twitter.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is that you people now what errors were made and how to fix them. Is really a bad decission. I hope you reconsider this.
google, don't do evil!!
ReplyDeleteThis was a big letdown for me, i woudn't mind if they never updated this again, just keep it working.
ReplyDeleteBut what I would like was for google to donate the google reader to the opensource comunity,if they did it with some of their other products why not with Reader as well. That could ease the "pain" caused to their loyal users.
Seriously, Google. What is wrong with you? What other company tosses aside like garbage a successful product used by millions of loyal fans?
ReplyDeleteSad? I'm not sad. As a reader and producer of feeds, I am pissed!
How does Google Reader get the axe and Google+ limps on? If I cannot trust you to maintain your products, I will find trustworthy replacements for all of them. No Google Calendar, no Google Apps or Docs; maybe it's time to look for a new email service. I hear Microsoft has one.
Honestly, I am less and less satisfied with Google. Reader discontinued, they throw out the add block apps from Android store, the Wave debacle (yes, I loved Wave), the new Gmail features are mostly bloatware for me, etc.
ReplyDeleteYes, Google IS nice, but not THAT nice. Google should tread more carefully...
If Google is trashing Reader, and don't expect that Feedburner will be alive much longer. I've invested quite a bit of my labor into that service as well.
ReplyDeleteI just deleted my Google+ page and account. I can't trust Google with my data anymore.
ReplyDeleteokay. that was the point for me. Goodbye google. I start wiping my account tonight. With no regrets that is.
ReplyDeleteWorst, move, ever. GReader is by far, the product I use the most. Google is going to show me many less ads by killing the Reader. And NO Google, in about 10 damn months, I have never, ever clicked on the stupid google+ link. Or the fuc*** privacy raper facebook.
ReplyDeleteI don´t want to be "social" I just want to keep my way of reading Internet and getting information as simple, quick and easy as possible.
What an stupid decission Google.
Life goes on! With or without Google! May be it's time for someone else to come up with a product similar to Google reader!
ReplyDeleteGoogle - seriously, you are making a bad decision!
And, by the way, at my job, all social networks are forbidden through optinet. You have very clever engineers, try solving that problem, geniuses.
ReplyDeleteReally pissed off. Nevermind, luckily this will be a huge oportunity for small sites like theoldreader or newsburn.
And no, I don´t believe there are more users using stupid social networks as feeds aggregator than GReader users.
WHAT??? You tell me the following and switch off the G-Reader???
ReplyDelete"It's hard to find a replacement for Google Reader, since Google Reader was the most popular feed reader and the competition couldn't keep up with it."
Are you serious? This is fucking ridiculous. Next you switch off Google Mail or what?
Time to say goodbye to Google. You are not longer trustworthy.
+1
DeleteMy argument is that those that "moved away" from Google Reader to use things like Feedly, twitter or Flipboard, is that they weren't real users of Google Reader in the first place. It's like my hotmail account, sure, I "use it", in the sense that I check it once a month when/if I remember.
ReplyDeleteI thought Google cared about education, now I know they care about their stats
ReplyDeleteBottom line is that online RSS aggregators don't generate enough revenue. If Google can't make money on it, no one else can (see the demise of Bloglines). So my takeaway from this is that I will have to use a desktop RSS aggregator.
ReplyDeleteshame shame!!
ReplyDeleteand everyone I talked to today said the same thing;
in my opinion, that the worst decision google made regarding its products...
Replying to real-dsb: Even though google might not make money from RSS aggregators, it's part of the ecosystem that they do make money from. I use reader every day!
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if google could commit to dates it will support products for!
Goodbye reader - over at Feedly now. Easy to import from Reader - http://www.feedly.com
DeleteI use Reader EVERYDAY! It is how I consume my news on the Internet.
ReplyDeleteMe 2. Sad news.
DeleteSame for me, I was using GReader everyday many time a day. It was simply my most used bookmark & my most used mobile app.
DeleteSadly, it was.
It's a sad day when Google decides to kill off one of their best services. Shame they'd rather focus on a useless service like Google + rather than adding in social functions into Reader. Google's going downhill fast.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many loyalty fans of Google Reader, they are all mad at Google now!
ReplyDelete** Next is Blogger.com ? **
ReplyDelete@admin: You might consider moving googlesystem.blogspot.com to another service or your own server. → I am just making it up... or not?
For a bunch of geniuses, what a dumb thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe my comment on this post is the only positive comment.
ReplyDeleteHiya again ,Johndoe :o) !
ReplyDeleteOf course yours is the only positive here.I tried Feedly in my FFox and the lol thing is when i subscribe something to Feedly,it will appear in my GR :DDD.So,they ARE connected.Don't know what will happen when GR dies.Also,Feedly can't do anything with starred items.They just left out.I always marked(starred) those articles which were important.Hardly used it for later reading.
So,i'm coming back here in the hope that people suggest really gr8 alternatives.
Thanks for all of them in advanced!!! Maybe an article needed about comparing the existing ones.
I didn't export starred items because I don't really plan to use another feed/news reader.
DeleteSo I exported them by hand(opened links and bookmarked them). I had less than 100 of them, but it took me at least 15 minutes. I don't know if there is any reader at all that can import starred items, or notes. I think for notes, it's very unlikely.
There are already many articles on the net offering alternatives like these:
http://lifehacker.com/5990456/google-reader-is-getting-shut-down-here-are-the-best-alternatives
http://lifehacker.com/5990509/best-google-reader-alternative
http://www.fastcompany.com/3007030/tech-forecast/digg-building-its-own-top-priority-news-reader
just login with your Google account to "Feedly" and it's done.
DeleteMaybe one of the best alternative.
Feedly will continue work after GReader dead. For the moment they sync with GReader but after it will be standalone solution, that only use your Google account to identify you.
DeleteYou can find your stared (GReader) items in the Saved part of Feedly.
please do not turn off the google reader
ReplyDeletesad news for google reader lovers do not google reader shutdown
ReplyDeleteOK; at this moment I can realistically imagine that Google will one day sunset also its search engine. After all, Facebook search is already there, right?
ReplyDeleteKilling Google Reader is a monumentally sad news. I never received the Google Operating System blog news in other way than via RSS. And many others. It was efficient. It was popular. I cannot believe this is happening.
http://theoldreader.com/
ReplyDeleteAgreed, The Old Reader is the closest out there to the current Google Reader. I am switched to it now and I hope it does well and keeps going!
DeleteSorry if you take Google Reader from me, I will close my Google+ immediately.
ReplyDeleteIn some years it will be an epic tragicomedy: how Google perished to its own hubris and achieved to lost all the loyalty of their former power-users. Did they think seriously that us reader users would change reader for plus? Did they actually know what reader actually was?
ReplyDeleteGReader is perfect with my N7. I have 2 dozen shortcuts on my home screen. I'd be ok with switching to something else, if something else comparable was available. Unfortunately for us grownups on mobile devices, it seems like all the alternatives think we have to have big pretty pictures plastered all over our screens or we'll get bored. I want to read, hence Google READER, not Currents or Pulse or whatever trying to guess what I want to read instead of just giving me text. I suppose this is how it feels to no longer be a member of the target market. Ooooh look…pretty pictures!
ReplyDeleteDisappointed to say the least. I Loved GoogleReader, and use it daily.
ReplyDeleteI don't do social networking, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Feeling a bit lost at the moment :(
The thing is, you cannot keep up with Google, they can remove any service at any moment. At think that's the worst news that shows at our face.
ReplyDeleteSo, now Google release a new service, called Keep, does it worth even to try knowing that they are already many services doing the same for longer? Maybe you start to use it and they decide is not worth to continue with it.
I think we got the message.
Don't do Evil, bullshit. Make Money!
As a high school teacher I use Google Reader as the daily activator. Students blog on current events and learn how to politely critic each others grammar. Its a shame that Reader is going away but as an educator we will adjust
ReplyDeleteI always read Google reader and its like my daily routine. I always get update form this about Google updates. I think instead of discontinue Google reader change it into community.
ReplyDeleteIt's really a bad decision, supposedly because the service was in decreasing usage phase. The reality is more that it is not a cost efficient product and not that is a not used service. They want to move user to other services like G+ but they should have provided a real alternative before announcing GReader end of life.
ReplyDeleteG+ is not a good solution to follow lots of information sources. And the real weakness of G+ facing to blogging world and other new social services (like Pinterest, Tumblr...) is that G+ have no API for integration.
BTW GReader users won't switch to other Google services, they switch to other solution. Simply bad strategic decision from Google, disappointing so much users. :(