Google Reader is an incredibly useful tool that lets you follow any number of blogs and websites using their RSS feed URL. I use it every day to keep up with all the blogs I like. I would never be able to read so many posts, so quickly, without a tool like this. I have been a daily user of Google Reader for just over 5 years.
Today, I was shocked to log in and read the following announcement:
“Google Reader will not be available after July 1, 2013”
Here is the formal announcement and commentary from a Google Software Engineer, Alan Green:
It is no surprise that the blogosphere has responded with shock and outrage. Here are some media stories that have covered the controversy:
- News.com.au: Save Google Reader: The Petition to Save Google Reader From The Chopping Block
- Forbes Magazine: Google’s Strange Attack on Bloggers and the Public Internet: The Massive Reaction to Reader Shutdown
- The Verge: Google Reader to shut down July 1st
I consider this to be a really ill-conceived decision that was poorly thought through. The fact is, Google Reader has not been given that much publicity or attention over the last few years. Not much effort has gone into promoting it. Nonetheless, it maintains a significant following. It does its job well and has not needed to be constantly modified to be accepted by users, unlike Google+ and other services struggling for mainstream acceptance.
The blogosphere would not have grown to what it has become over the last few years without facilities like RSS readers and aggregators that have allowed people to efficiently harness all this information. You can let Google know what you think and help convince them to keep Google Reader going by signing the following petition:
Change.org Petition – Google: Keep Google Reader Running
Also, tell your friends and associates, online and in person, about how they can benefit from using RSS reading services to conveniently subscribe to and follow their favourite blogs and news websites.
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