Google Reader (2005-2013)

Google Reader to shut down. [Link]

We have just announced on the Official Google Blog that we will soon retire Google Reader (the actual date is July 1, 2013). 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.

To ensure a smooth transition, we’re providing a three-month sunset period so you have sufficient time to find an alternative feed-reading solution. If you want to retain your Reader data, including subscriptions, you can do so through Google Takeout.

Thank you again for using Reader as your RSS platform.

I guess they couldn't get it integrated into Google+ enough.

Reaction has been loud. [Link]

Google’s announcement today that it is destroying Google Reader, the most popular RSS syndication tool was a massive blow to the blogging community – and to most of those speaking out tonight via social media, an entirely unnecessary attack on an important corner of the public Internet by a company with more than $50 billion in revenue and a newly-won reputation as a tech giant on the move.

“That giant “NOOOOOOOO” sound is the Internet’s reaction to Google’s most unpopular decision in — well, as far back as I can remember,” wrote Pete Cashmore at Mashable, in a post emblematic of the flood of negative reaction to Google’s strange decision. “Like a Dagger to Bloggers’ Hearts, Google Just Killed Google Reader” read The Atlantic’s headline. And NBC’s Ann Currytweeted this:

Wonder if #Google Reader be saved if we mass tweet @google with messages to CEO Larry Page?

— Ann Curry (@AnnCurry) March 14, 2013

While some may argue that RSS feeds (for Real Simple Syndication) have fallen from common usage in the social media era, how would Google explain the huge, instantaneous response on Twitter from Google Reader users? “Google Reader” trended almost immediately and instantly replace Google Glass as the most talked about Google product on Twitter. Here’s one of the calmer, more considered tweets:

Google is murdering Google Reader. It is committing appicide. Hate crime. NO GR, NO PEACE

— Jim Aley (@jimaley) March 14, 2013

Even hard-core Google fans (and this writer is an Android user who runs his consulting practice on Google’s platform for files, email, and calendar) were aghast at the lack of self awareness the company seemed to exhibit in its curt notice that it’s axing Google Reader in July. Here’s a typical reaction:

You know how bad the Google Reader outrage is? Even the Google apologists on G+ are pissed. I’ve only seen a handful of Google defenders

— Christina Warren (@film_girl) March 14, 2013

Oddly, the company didn’t seem aware of the firestorm its announcement would create. On the official Google Reader Blog, engineer Alan Green wrote: “We know Reader has a devoted following who will be very sad to see it go. We’re sad too.”

Outrage is more like it. Green wrote that usage had “declined” but any entrepreneur with the kind of loyalty demonstrated in the wake of Reader’s announced shutdown would instantly be financed by a horde of venture capitalists. In short, Google Reader is used and loved by a very loud – and as some would no doubt say, very influential – core user group. Any app builder would kill for this following – any social entrepreneur would walk a thousand miles for this crowd.

And make no mistake, Google Reader is something of an important public accommodation, a real point of differentiation for a company whose motto is “don’t be evil.” Google was doing a public service for the news and blogger community by keeping Reader going. Understandably, the Reader shutdown was received not just as the end of an era but almost as an attack on those who count on it for traffic and attention. Over at Techcrunch, Sarah Perez had this reaction: “Don’t be evil? If that’s the unofficial Google motto, then the company has failed to deliver today. Among the products Google just announced it plans to sunset (read: kill off), beloved feed-reading service Google Reader is now on the chopping block.”

I have been using Google Reader for years. It is my window onto the Internet. It is how I keep up with everything. It gives gave me a simple, powerful interface that was on my desktop, my phone and my tablet.

More: Metafilter, Alternatives to reader: Quora,