Google Reader Closes Today

Millions of Google Reader users are preparing for its closure by transferring RSS feeds to new platform

Google announced plans to shut down the RSS reader in March, claiming that the company wanted to focus on fewer products.

The internet search giant admitted at the time that Google Reader had "a devoted following who will be very sad to see it go" and gave users a three month transition period to find an alternative feed-reading service.

Google Reader was created in 2005 and became one of the most popular RSS readers, allowing users to see a stream of updates from their selected websites.

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and updates content from multiple sources into one feed, so users can quickly scan stories from many different websites.

Despite Google Reader's many fans, Google said in its March blog post that use of the RSS service had declined, and provided instructions for how to export data to a different RSS platform

Google software engineer Alan Green said: "Usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we’re pouring all of our energy into fewer products.

"We think that kind of focus will make for a better user experience."

Loyal followers who rely on Google Reader tried to persuade the company to reverse its decision. A petition calling on Google to save the aggregator received more than 100,000 signatures in a few days, but without success.

Several alternative RSS feeds have gained followers since Google's announcement in March. Digg Reader, built explicitly as an alternative to Google Reader, allows users to import their old Google feeds as a first step when they create an account.
Digg's president, Andrew McLaughlin asked users for their thoughts on how the feed should look and wrote: "As daily (hourly) users of Google Reader, we’re convinced that it’s a product worth saving."

"We hope to identify and rebuild the best of Google Reader’s features (including its API), but also advance them to fit the Internet of 2013."

Another platform, Feedly, created an option to view streams in a similar layout to Google Reader and developed a one-click tool for users to transfer their old content.

In a blog post, Feedly said millions of users signed up to their service in the 100 days after Google's announcement.The company wrote: "A lot of undecided Google Reader users are looking for a home."

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