Google Reader is set to expire on Monday, July 1, 2013. For some, it will be a moment in history: others probably won’t know about it, and some just won’t care. For a lot of companies offering solutions to replicate Google’s product, it’s a gold mine opportunity to grab Google Reader’s disgruntled, wandering and lost users. But for users, it’s simply put a frustration. If you are a Google Reader user, you’re probably looking for something to switch to and how to switch out (so your feeds don’t die with it).
Are you an avid RSS user, an in-between user, or someone who will care somehow? Keep reading. We’ve put together a survival guide and even helped you with how to move on in life. I know, I know—nothing can replace it perhaps—but at least you’ll have something to continue living for. (To dramatize the matter.)
Step 1. Grab your stuff before you go.
Gripe at Google all you want, but they’ve at least made it easy to save your feeds before the demise of the Reader occurs. Download all your information from Google Reader in a few simple steps using their Takeout tool, found at http://google.com/takeout. You can simply extract all your Google Reader feeds, data, followers and everything else into one zip that you can re-upload to new services or save to your files.
Step 2. Survive with the follow options.
Use Alternate RSS readers. Here are 5 of our top choices.
1. NewsBlur: Personal news reader featuring a Google Reader import tool, once you signup. However, beware: it’s not 100% free. But not expensive either, since premium is $1/month.
2. Feedly: This feed is fast-growing to be a fan favorite. It functions like an RSS reader, but looks like a magazine. Free for anyone. It currently will allow you to sign-in with your Google account and import Google Reader feeds.
3. Feedreader: Free RSS reader featuring both a desktop and online client version. They’re calling it a great alternative to Google Reader and it seems to work very similarly.
4. FeedDemon: Windows: Currently THE most popular RSS feeder for users on Windows. It seems that FeedDemon isn’t free but they hide this fact.
5. NetNewsWire: Mac: Long-running, long-standing MAC RSS reader. Trendy and fun to use.
Or, you can simply start subscribing using email. You check your email every day, would it make life easier to just subscribe to your new feeds and get an email with the update daily? Probably one of the simplest survival strategies out there, but your email will never break, so it’s also one of the most reliable solutions.
Why is this happening? Google says the Readership base has been declining, so they think it’s going out of vogue. They want to distribute their focus across products that matter. Not bad for good reasoning.
Get More Help: CNN.com put out a very useful article on the matter, if you want to delve into more solutions and advice on the matter. Lifehacker blogged about the best alternatives recently. And on Techcrunch, the buzz is all about Facebook Reader as a viable alternative, or not.
