Google’s RSS Reader reaches the end of its short life today. Google announced back in March that they would be putting an end to Google Reader as of July 1st. Today is that day.
From the Google Blog in March:
We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. 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.
Unfortunately, Google Reader began its slow trip into irrelevance with the advent of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google’s own Google +. Many no longer used RSS feeds to follow the news, they simply went to Facebook or other social services for their fix.
For those of you who still use RSS, take heart, there are still many options available to satisfy your news fix.
MacTrast shared some top picks for an alternative RSS reader with you back in March when the Google Reader announcement was first released. Since then, Feedly has introduced its Cloud Reader, and Digg has also released their take on the RSS Reader, so the RSS horse is far from running its last race.
While Google Reader will be missed, their exit from the RSS Reader space can be taken as a positive thing. With the Google giant no longer taking up space, newer, perhaps more innovative alternatives will have a chance to grow.
