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September 28, 2011

Google Reader, Replaced by Google Sites in the Navigation Bar

Google Reader users probably noticed that the feed reader has been replaced by Google Sites in the main navigation bar. To visit Google Reader, they need to click "More" and then click "Reader" in the list of Google services.


Unlike the last time when Reader was replaced by Google Sites, this time is not an accident. A Google employee explained that this is a permanent change.
While the link to Reader has moved, you can continue to access Google Reader under the "More" dropdown. Or, you can also set a specific bookmark to reader.google.com for one-click access. Depending your browser, try dragging http://reader.google.com right from this post onto the bookmark bar on your browser (usually below the URL bar).

Google has usually made changes in the navigation based on the popularity of the services and it's likely that Reader's popularity is declining, while Google Sites gains more users. According to Google Trends, the queries [google reader] and [google sites] have almost the same search volume in the US.


Like Picasa Web Albums, Google Reader doesn't have a new interface based on Google+. The latest features added to Google Reader were comment moderation and integration with Google Buzz, a service that will soon disappear.

{ Thanks, Cougar. }
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77 comments:

  1. CarlosSeptember 28, 2011 at 3:54 AM

    I hope they don't kill reader

    ReplyDelete
  2. ToninoSeptember 28, 2011 at 3:56 AM

    I use it a lot.
    It would really be horrible to see it disappear.
    I don't care if they don't add new features (except G+ integration?), but it should stay online because it's a great and very useful service.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ShimmySeptember 28, 2011 at 3:58 AM

    UNLIKE! UNLIKE! UNLIKE! UNLIKE! UNLIKE! UNLIKE!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Baptiste MMSeptember 28, 2011 at 3:58 AM

    But I'm not sure people doing searches "google site" are looking for 'google site' per se but rather the site of google, so the trends has not a real sense; but I guess Googlers know more about me about that :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. EditorSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:02 AM

    Why don't we have the ability to 'customize' the 'Google bar' like we have the ability to customize 'Google News'?

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:11 AM

    " Reader's popularity is declining... "

    Huh, what alternative do we have to easily read RSS feeds from anywhere we are ?

    ???

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:20 AM

    Agree with Editor!
    'customize' the 'Google bar' this is i think very small step! Or at least let as customize 2 or 3 items.

    ReplyDelete
  8. notovnySeptember 28, 2011 at 4:27 AM

    Cant's say that I did notice, because while a Reader Tab is almost invariably open in my browser at any one time, I almost never use the navigation bar to open it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. TennySeptember 28, 2011 at 4:34 AM

    I hate this change! The only reason for the growth in Google Sites is that it is a popular spam/spyware haven!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. adminSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:37 AM

    Please, don't kill Google Reader. This one is your best tool ever!
    Actually you guys should develop ways to customize Google Reader like Google Reader Plus addon for Google Chrome browser does!
    And like Anonymous said before, make Google bar customizable!

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:40 AM

    I hope they aren't killing/ramping down Reader

    Unless they're going to allow us to view RSS feeds in our Google+ Stream. That'd be a great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:41 AM

    This is a terrible decision, it was already annoying to have to use "more" to access youtube and now reader?!? Please give us a customizable bar.

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:43 AM

    Beside search, Reader is Google's most useful service for me. It might be going down just because people don't know about its magic...
    Searchwiki is another dead google project which was damn useful but very few had a clue about its existence or the point of it.
    Lack of advertising ? Or simply mainstream adoption going down for RSS?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Spino PrimeSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:52 AM

    Read this post from Google Reader. Not pleased. Google Reader is the most useful, out of all Google's services, and it is the reason why I currently use all my different Google web apps today. Without Reader, I wouldn't have downloaded Chrome, I would have bought an iPhone instead of my Galaxy S, and I certainly wouldn't have hopped on the bandwagon for Google+. Keep Google Reader, the best web service ever.

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:59 AM

    God I hope they dont kill reader - that really will have me disappointed in googles current 'corporate' face

    ReplyDelete
  16. WoodLookerSeptember 28, 2011 at 5:03 AM

    This is a terrible decision by Google to downgrade Reader. It is the basic first opened tab from which I then access other Google services

    ReplyDelete
  17. François MasurelSeptember 28, 2011 at 5:04 AM

    Reader is certainly the Google service I use the most, even more than Gmail probably. It would be very annoying to not be able to use it anymore. Please Google, keep Reader alive !

    ReplyDelete
  18. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 5:05 AM

    Shame on google! In place of adding Googlle+ integration they demote one of their best tool even more...

    ReplyDelete
  19. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 5:12 AM

    This is ridiculous - after Gmail, Reader is my second most used Google service. My morning begins with checking my Reader news feeds!

    I agree with bmillemathias - people are just trying to get to Google's home page. I bet most don't even know Google Sites exists!

    ReplyDelete
  20. IlyaSeptember 28, 2011 at 5:21 AM

    theme for Google Reader http://ilyapetrakov.com/re-reader/

    ReplyDelete
  21. my_softSeptember 28, 2011 at 5:32 AM

    я против! верни на место!

    ReplyDelete
  22. burnerSeptember 28, 2011 at 5:37 AM

    This sucks. Reader is a service you use every day, I doubt anyone uses sites that often. Maybe the navbar should be customizable

    ReplyDelete
  23. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 5:41 AM

    I still don't understand why the status bar is not possible to customise ? Can't believer that this is to complicated and I would make millions happy !

    ReplyDelete
  24. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 6:02 AM

    I use Google reader often. Maybe it can be integrated in Google+ as separate news streams.

    ReplyDelete
  25. HoomanSeptember 28, 2011 at 6:15 AM

    Google reader is my most used Google app. Although I have Gmail open all the time I think I actually use Google reader more often.

    I think this is all because the main Google reader developer (forgot his name) has left Google.

    The Google reader issue aside, it is ridiculous that you can't customize that toolbar.

    ReplyDelete
  26. jySeptember 28, 2011 at 6:31 AM

    WTF, just put reader to Navigation Bar

    ReplyDelete
  27. HansSeptember 28, 2011 at 6:46 AM

    Let ME ! choose which links are in the navbar, plz ! Bring reader back first !

    ReplyDelete
  28. BryanSeptember 28, 2011 at 6:57 AM

    Reader is also my most used site on the web. There is nothing that even matches its awesomeness.

    ReplyDelete
  29. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 7:08 AM

    Let me add my voice to the chorus of those begging for Google Reader to avoid being shut down. There's no other tool I know of that allows you to customize the way you read news and get it when you want it, how you want it. I don't want to read news through a Facebook or Google+ "stream" that gives me random links at random times of the day. Google Reader gives me headlines in chronological order, batched together so I can read everything from one source, then move on to the next. Far less scattered than trying to get news through social media. LEAVE GOOGLE READER ALONE!

    ReplyDelete
  30. WBSeptember 28, 2011 at 7:38 AM

    Please just move Reader into Google+ so I can get both in the same location.

    ReplyDelete
  31. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 7:42 AM

    Last time this happened and then Google put Reader back in clear view, there was much discussion (as now) and comment on the future of RSS feed readers in general.

    I depend on my RSS feeds and use Google Reader heavily. I may be imagining things, but lately I've noticed RSS feed links listed more prominently on a variety of web sites, so perhaps RSS is on the rise. We may yet see Google reinstate Reader to a visible slot on the bar. I hope so.

    ReplyDelete
  32. MattSeptember 28, 2011 at 7:45 AM

    I love Google Reader and use it all day everyday to keep up with the 100s of blogs I follow. The interface is clean, easy and dead simple to use. Keyboard shortcuts are awesome! I really hope it isn't cut, there's no google, simple replacement out there at all.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Zach HoSeptember 28, 2011 at 7:47 AM

    I love google reader
    I hope it won't be killed

    ReplyDelete
  34. UnknownSeptember 28, 2011 at 8:06 AM

    Ugh, I dislike change. Bring back the Reader link. I click it a lot.

    Google could track a user's usage and customize the nav bar FOR him.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Daniel FernandesSeptember 28, 2011 at 8:16 AM

    I hope people from Google are seeing the reaction over the internet everytime they make less of Google Reader.
    It's the best rss reading/sharing tool avaliable.

    ReplyDelete
  36. b34niSeptember 28, 2011 at 8:45 AM

    They should integrate likes - a thing of the Facebook era - with +'s.

    We can share circles now, which is like sharing OPML lists. I want to be able to share reader bundles!

    ReplyDelete
  37. UnknownSeptember 28, 2011 at 9:16 AM

    Google Reader is a great tool for my daily business - i hope Google Reader will have an update very soon!

    ReplyDelete
  38. adminSeptember 28, 2011 at 9:18 AM

    Google Trends is a bad way to measure popularity. We in the Linux community are aware that searches for Linux and Ubuntu are declining, but the number of users is at an all time high. More than likely, most people just know what Linux is now, compared to 2004, so they're not searching for it.

    Likewise, Google Reader searches may be declining because everyone interested in an RSS reader knows what it is and where to find it.

    Of course, Google has the access logs and knows exactly how many people are using these services, and probably based their decision on that.

    ReplyDelete
  39. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 10:00 AM

    Let's hope this means that Reader, or an improved derivative, is coming to Google+. Otherwise my user experience has diminished slightly (I just +1'd this publicly with the same comment: https://plus.google.com/107000089930454732856/posts/R6QT4HzJ7B9).

    Of course, that makes me wonder whether or not Google could just integrate +1 comments with individual site comments, negating the need for me to double comment as I just did.

    ReplyDelete
  40. DamonSeptember 28, 2011 at 10:06 AM

    This sucks, I never use Sites, never use Groups, barely use Photos, but use Reader multiple times a day. This is Google, you should know what I want, let me customize it myself, or better yet you're probably already tracking what I use, make it bubble up based on which services I visit the most!

    ReplyDelete
  41. MeenaSeptember 28, 2011 at 10:27 AM

    there's no alternative good enough for google reader, why don't they just keep both of them? or at least make users choose which one to keep?
    or maybe use the most used one by each user? i use google reader probably even more than gmail itself.the most important google services for me are google search, image search, gmail, google reader,blogger,adsense.
    and i don't really find a lot of google sites in the search results, not as much as blogger.
    why don't they just keep it? do they have to follow the lead of mozilla by removing the good features? anyway, i already have it in my bookmarks toolbar

    ReplyDelete
  42. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 10:40 AM

    Hey Please do not hide Reader .... !!!

    ReplyDelete
  43. UnknownSeptember 28, 2011 at 11:17 AM

    I use Reader as much as I use Gmail. Why not have the ability to customize which links you want in the top bar? Reader also needs a UI upgrade like the other services now have.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Sérgio Miguel PintoSeptember 28, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    US is not the World.
    So please use the worldwide stats to decide what goes on the navigation bar.

    WW stats:
    http://goo.gl/MA1vV

    ReplyDelete
  45. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 11:41 AM

    G-Reader Rules!!
    Shame on Google for this and for not update this excellent service.
    "Advanced search options"... Please!!!

    ReplyDelete
  46. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 12:54 PM

    G-Reader is a must-have. I can't imagine checking out sites by having to load full pages anymore, or having to check for updates with manual visits.

    They should just make the bar so the user can put whatever they want where they.

    Don't even get me started on the one minute it's there, the next it's gone 'photos' link.

    ReplyDelete
  47. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 12:54 PM

    Buuuuuuuuuuuu, aguante el Reader!
    Reader rocks!

    ReplyDelete
  48. DaveSeptember 28, 2011 at 1:12 PM

    Please don'e take away Reader, I spend (waste) most of my day on it.....

    ReplyDelete
  49. MattSeptember 28, 2011 at 1:14 PM

    I use Reader way, way more than any other google service.

    I'm NOT interested in using G+, so integrating Reader into G+ (as other commenters here have suggested) would likely be the same as killing it to me.

    When Bloglines was about to shut down, there were waves of comments and guides to help Bloglines users migrate to Reader. Where will everyone go if Reader gets shut down like so many other google services have lately?

    ReplyDelete
  50. AntheaSeptember 28, 2011 at 1:30 PM

    @ Martin 9:18 -
    Trends is certainly not a great way. It also makes a big difference when you look at google sites, google reader and "google sites", "google reader".

    @ Sergio 11:34
    US is not the world, going worldwide and with "" is an even less compelling case as to why this happened

    http://www.google.com/trends?q=%22google+sites%22%2C+%22google+reader%22&ctab=0&geo=all&geor=all&date=ytd&sort=1

    ReplyDelete
  51. SeriousSeptember 28, 2011 at 2:02 PM

    Has Google never heard of browser CSS3 media queries?

    My browser is easily wide enough to contain ALL the items in the 'more' list!

    Sites templates are far too restrictive for my company to consider using the product, but reader, EVERYONE here uses it.

    ReplyDelete
  52. BerlinSeptember 28, 2011 at 2:12 PM

    couldn't they just allow us to customize this damn navbar?

    ReplyDelete
  53. Juliana AquinoSeptember 28, 2011 at 3:37 PM

    I use it a lot.
    It would really be horrible to see it disappear.
    I don't care if they don't add new features (except G+ integration?), but it should stay online because it's a great and very useful service.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Ben HunsbergerSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:04 PM

    So with G+ integration, why can't I just control what links show up there, make it my bar not their!!!??

    ReplyDelete
  55. catalinSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:11 PM

    Google Reader is the best thing after their search service that they'd invented.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Just Two WordsSeptember 28, 2011 at 9:24 PM

    Honestly, sometimes Google decisions on user interface changes make no sense ... TO USERS. This menu should be based on the individual USERS popularity.

    ReplyDelete
  57. UnknownSeptember 28, 2011 at 10:27 PM

    I liked the shortcut there, why hide it :(

    ReplyDelete
  58. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2011 at 1:13 AM

    Reader is very important for research, particularly when used in combination with Google Alerts.

    It is very important that these tools are kept to allow people to keep in touch with the latest happenings both in their local area and globally.

    Is RSS dead? I hope not :(

    ReplyDelete
  59. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2011 at 4:10 AM

    Google knows everything about me ... why not personalize the navigation bar based on what I use more often ... so simple

    ReplyDelete
  60. John DSeptember 29, 2011 at 6:38 AM

    Why we are not allowed to customize the navigation bar is a mystery...

    After Gmail and Google Calendar, Google Reader is perhaps my most used Google product. So if anybody with an opportunity to influence this change reads this: undo it, please!

    ReplyDelete
  61. MatthewSeptember 29, 2011 at 7:40 AM

    "According to Google Trends, the queries [google reader] and [google sites] have almost the same search volume in the US."

    That doesn't seem like a valid metric. How often Gmail users click on the Reader link in the navigation bar, as opposed to the Sites link, is far more relevant.

    ReplyDelete
  62. UnknownSeptember 29, 2011 at 8:33 AM

    I agree with John D. I should be able to order these as I like.

    I *never* go to "sites". I go to urls that happen to re-route me to a googles sites page. In fact I cannot think of any reason why I would ever navigate to "sites".

    ReplyDelete
  63. Mario De RomaSeptember 29, 2011 at 6:12 PM

    they just want to push sites, there's a number of initiatives with the same purpose: http://www.gbbo.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  64. Ardi HermySeptember 30, 2011 at 1:32 AM

    I just can't believe this. Reader is among my most used Google product. Hope Google will not kill Reader, unless they provide better alternatives.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Daft ArcherSeptember 30, 2011 at 6:22 AM

    Hey guys, i found a solution!!
    Go here:

    http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/114191

    If you have chrome, you can just install it with the 'install' button.
    If you have Firefox, I think you need the extension 'greasemonkey' to install it.

    Anyway, enjoy your reader link returned, I know I am !

    ReplyDelete
  66. Ed CatlettSeptember 30, 2011 at 9:22 AM

    This is really annoying. I use Reader far more than any other Google page and really don't appreciate the extra click. Even with it as a bookmark I need to open a new tab then click Reader on my Bookmarks bar. MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS MINUS

    ReplyDelete
  67. JeremySeptember 30, 2011 at 5:53 PM

    I keep reader open all the time in a tab, so I don't care whether it's on the navbar or not. But if google were to discontinue reader, I'd be very bummed. It's the google service I use most.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Henry LouisOctober 2, 2011 at 11:45 PM

    Google sites is one of the worst services. Google search engines do not have any weightage for these pages. All the efforts put up on Google sites would be waste. Saying this with a lot of experience. Wordpress is much much better than google sites.

    ReplyDelete
  69. AnonymousOctober 7, 2011 at 1:00 PM

    Bummer. I have no need for 'Sites', so an app I use daily has been replaced with one I'll probably never use. I agree with the previous comments that it would be nice if the navigation bar was configurable so that you could "pin" certain links. Also, oddly, the address bar in Google+ still has the link to Reader instead of Sites.

    ReplyDelete
  70. AnonymousOctober 10, 2011 at 2:44 PM

    - 1

    ReplyDelete
  71. AnonymousOctober 11, 2011 at 2:39 PM

    -1 :(

    ReplyDelete
  72. Gracie MorrisOctober 12, 2011 at 3:52 PM

    I hope they don't remove it all together either! Kind of irritating it's another click away

    ReplyDelete
  73. AdvantixguysOctober 27, 2011 at 8:34 PM

    why shut down Google buzz :-( very weird.. at least they should stay this wonderful service... sort of like yahoobuzz... hmmm

    ReplyDelete
  74. AnonymousDecember 1, 2011 at 8:34 PM

    Sites is a piece of junk. Anybody working with it is wasting their time.

    ReplyDelete
  75. AnonymousDecember 17, 2011 at 8:38 PM

    I only use gmail, calendar, and reader. Put reader back on the f@ck!ng menu bar!

    ReplyDelete
  76. Pipeline MarketingJune 30, 2012 at 1:05 PM

    Gee I've only just started out but I've been trying to get the reader on the navigation bar for about two days now. I assumed there would be a way to do this. I have just found this article. Bumma

    ReplyDelete
  77. soumilJuly 28, 2012 at 2:07 AM

    I hate goolg fr this change. I only use gmail and reader and they have forced me to add a shortcut for getting to reader.

    ReplyDelete

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