Google Reader finally goes out of service. The search engine giant had announced in March that it was planning to close down the RSS reader as the company wanted to narrow down its product range. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) provided users three months of transition period to find alternative readers. The company said that Google Reader had a strong follower base who will be sad to see the service go off.
Google Reader Userbase Was Declining
Google Reader was launched in 2005. It worked by allowing users to see a stream of updates from websites of their choice into a single feed. Immediately after the launch, Google Reader became one of the most popular RSS readers. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It updates content from different sources into one feed to help users scan through very quickly.
The main reason behind Google Reader’s closure was the consistent decline in the number of Google Reader users. In its March post, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) also provided the steps to export data to a different reader. The news of closure disappointed many Google Reader users, and they tried to persuade Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) into reversing its decision.
Alternatives To Google Reader
Anyway, that’s been a great opportunity for alternative feeds which have witnessed an increase in the number of followers since Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s announcement in March. Many of them have cropped up after the news of Google Reader’s exit. There have been reports that Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is also planning to roll out its very own RSS reader.
Digg Reader is an alternative to Google Reader. It was launched with the basic functionality. It allows users to save stories, share links and add feeds. When a user creates a Digg account, the first step is to import the old Google feeds. Digg team has assured that they will continue to update the functionality of their reader as they go.
Another reader that is trying to grab a piece of Google Reader’s market share is the newly launched AOL Reader. It allows users to login using their Google Reader account and export their feeds. Olivia Goldhill of The Telegraph said that AOL Reader will be supported by ads.
Another feed reader Feedly said that it has gained millions of new users since Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) announced the closure of Google Reader.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) shares were up 0.58 percent to $885.50 in the early session.
