Google has just announced the end of Google Reader on July 1.
Most people haven't even heard of Google Reader, but among those who have, it's quite popular. It's a free online service that lets you organize your newsfeeds. Haven't heard of news feeds, either? They likewise may not be as hot as when they were developed some years ago, but the concept is great: just add websites or other information sources to your incoming feeds, and you'll be able to check all the new items from a single source on your computer. Forget visiting all your favorite blogs and news sources, just open your newsfeed and see everything in one place.
Many applications help you manage your newsfeeds, but Google Reader has been a popular one. It is very simple to use and is just there when you want it. Click on a title and the whole article opens up in the same window (if the feed included all the content) or a new window if you want to see the original. Mark the articles you want to remember, share, and so on.
My first reaction at hearing about the "retirement"--death seems a better word--of Google Reader was dismay. But then I thought, maybe there is a silver cloud. I haven't even looked for a better solution in years. Yes, well, I didn't see a need, and why fix what isn't broken. I still feel that way, but at least the death of Reader will force me to get out there and explore new options. This CNN article mentions Feedly, Pulse, Flipboard, and Zite. I'm not checking out Zite since it seems to an iOS-only app. But they all have nice-looking home pages, and that's a start!
What about you? What news readers do you already use and love, or what are you planning to do now that Google Reader is terminal?
No comments:
Post a Comment