S***: Google Reader to Shut Down on 1 July – Can Someone Recommend a Replacement?
Google is in the middle of their annual Spring-cleaning and unfortunately for me Google Reader is going out on the curb:
So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months.
I was hoping this wouldn’t happen. The last time Google updated Google Reader they stripped away its native social networking features and integrated the RSS feed reader into Google+, and before that Google uglified the layout to make it look more like Google+. I thought that was a sign that Google Reader would be around for the long haul, but I guess that was overly optimistic.
Google is claiming that the shut down comes after several years of declining use. That could well be true but Google is still going to leave a lot of users in the lurch.
I am a hard-core user of Google Reader, and I currently follow over 1,900 RSS feeds. While that is a little on the high side, the one time I ran a poll I learned that most gReader users use the app to follow an average of more than 100 RSS feeds.
Frankly I don’t know whether I will be able to find a feed reader that is as good, and for me this could be a serious problem. Google Reader was a vital tool for finding news stories for this blog, and I don’t know where I will find a good replacement.
I have head good things about NetNewsWire, but that is strictly an OSX and iOS product. And I have found this page, this page, and this page of feed readers which I plan to try.
But at this point I am freaking out. Can someone recommend a newsreader app that works across Windows, Android, and the web browser?
Any 2 of those 3 would be good.
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