Friday, June 28, 2013

The Last Days of Google Reader




Are you mourning the impending loss of Google Reader like I am? Have you decided what alternative you'll be using? Let's chat about it, because I might need some comfort over all of this.

The panic set in quickly for me when Google announced that as of July 1, 2013, our dear Reader would be no longer. To be honest, when I first heard the news, I was a bit in denial at first. I mean, really?!, how could Google get do away with such a convenient and useful service?

I had been putting off finding a replacement because the features of Google have been so much better than it's competitors so far.

Two alternatives I've tried so far:

Bloglovin' -- This is from a Swedish group that started out of their garage after some failed attempt at starting a fashion community. The interface is easy to use and I was able to import my blog feeds quickly but it still lack some features that I've been used to from Google Reader.  It also takes a long time to load individual posts, which is a big negative for me. Maybe I need to play around with it some more, but this one wasn't my favorite.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Feedly -- Based in Palo Alto, California, this company has been catering to the Google Reader castoffs directly. Until the end of Google Reader, in fact, Feedly is a front-end service that relies on Reader for service and after July 1st will be hosted on Google's App Engine infrastructure. I was also able to import my feeds easily and they have several nice layout options. Their iPhone app is fun to use as well. This service is my favorite so far (and not just because it's from an American company). My only gripe is that I am still unable to search within my feeds, a feature that Feedly says they are working on.

What are you using as an RSS feed reader?

P.S. You can still follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

Resources:
Shankland, Stephen. "Coming to Feedly reader: Speed, search, Windows 8 support." CNET, June 3, 2013.

6 comments:

  1. Bloglovin for me. The only bad thing is that the blogs have to be on it for you to read them. No bueno for people who didn't add their blogs to the site.

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    1. You know, I don't even remember adding mine. But there it is... so you're all set for content from me. :)

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  2. I'm using Feedly. I still haven't figured it out completely. I'm so sad about losing Google Reader :/

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  3. I switched over to The Old Reader. It mimics Google Reader pretty well and it's easy to set up and import your blogs.

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