Reader going? Well waaa, waaa, waaa!
Friday, March 15, 2013 at 05:38AM For some reason, I've been feeling decidely unsympathetic lately. So this may sting a bit.
Yeah, Google announced that they are suspending Reader. A friend's reaction:
Can you tell me WHY Google is taking down Google Reader? I will be bereft without it. Why are they doing this to me? I KNOW they are picking on me personally....just because I have not been keeping up on my reading lately.
Could be Ms Henry. Could be...
GoogleReader has gotten my attention every day for a lot of years and I find the information it contains of far more value than my e-mail and more efficient than Twitter. (see Why RSS Still Matters) It's simple to use, works on all my devices, and requires no learning curve. Like a light switch or flush toilet, it simple does its job without me having to think about it. It's a staple of my PLN.
It's a comfortable old friend. But now I need to make a new friend. It's taken about half an hour to get Feedly (one of the dozen or so replacements being touted by various pundits) up and running and usable. Big whoop. As I use it over the coming days and weeks, I am sure there will be things about Feedly I like and don't like. (It IS prettier.) I may stay with it or switch to another RSS aggregator that I like more.
Personally, I think it is a good thing that we are forced to change the way use technology now and then. Those of us who encourage others to do things in a new way, even when it takes time and feels uncomfortable for a while, ought to be expected to do so ourselves.
Being asked to so on a more regular basis might even make me more sympathetic.
Reader Comments (12)
I agree. It chapped me, but Feedly is fine and it's made me re-evaluate my Google dependence. I'm liking Safari and Firefox again. I'm enjoying Duck Duck Go and Refseek for searching, I didn't realize Bing Maps were so cool, and I'm considering ponying up for Smugmug. That's the key, you can't really cry about it if it's free, so if there's no clear way it's making money, it will probably change or disappear. Best to have a backup plan or cough up some cash to keep things stable.
This really torpedoes my plans for taking that tiny first step with teachers on PLNs. I doubt I'll get Twitter open anytime soon...time to adapt! Begrudgingly though...
Count me as an initial crybaby, by I too find feedly adequate and agree that now and then we need a push to change.
I guess we all needed to hear that....I've started using Feedly too, and so far, so good. Change is good, right???
OK. Now WHY are You picking on me?? =)
I just logged into Feedly and it looks OK. I WILL say that Google's time-frame for notifying folks is a bit slim. I am not usually so far behind .... but really.... it had been only about a week since I'd logged in last, and all of a sudden I have a WEEK to figure out where to go next? What if I'd been away and missed a window of opportunity? We all need to (and should) take a break from being constantly connected. God knows It would take me at least a week to remember that once-upon-a-time, I had a Bloglines account, let alone find something new. Thank goodness for LM_NET where I found out about Feedly. So far - it is not behaving for me like GR did....it seems to randomly change the interface on me....but I will learn. Sigh.... Nothing can be simple.
However, I will look at it as exercise for the mind. Just wish it could be a bit more like Yoga and less like aerobics. Ohhhhmmmmmmmmm.......
I'm rather enjoying feedly right now too, but now feel inspired to look at some other options. Still, I'm known to knee jerk every now and again. WHAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Glad I got it out of my system. I'm still a little ticked at Google, but am ready to see some of the new material they are making room for.
Thanks for your timely post, I was wondering what I'd replace Google reader with. Although my reaction to the Google announcement wasn't tears but a mild expletive. Transition to Feedly was too easy.
Any recommendations for an iGoogle replacement?
HI Ninja,
I'm a long time SmugMug user, paying my pennies each year that I hope assure my photos are well protected. No such thing as a free lunch is as true today as ever, I'm afraid.
Doug
Hi Nathan,
For some reason, Reader HAS been a hard sell to educators. I don't really know why. It be sort of a chicken or egg situation. Why bother with Reader if there are no good blogs or newsfeeds in it? Who would bother to read a blog if there is not a convenient way to know if it's been updated.
It's looking like Feedly and some other more visually appealing RSS aggregators might just be an easier sell.
Doug
Hi Annette,
I've always heard "Change is good. You go first!"
Doug
Hi Jacquie,
I'm teasing you cause I know you'll take it in spirit in which it was intended - fun!
Reader will be with us until July 1, I believe, so that gives one a few months to find something new.
Don't panic!
Have a good weekend. Get caught up on your blog reading ;-)
Doug
Hi Cathy,
Oh, I definitely think Google's grand plan it to have Google+ be used for everything social. Haven't quit figured out how it replace Reader except that Google sees RSS feeds as competition. Who knows.
Doug
Hi Janet,
I am going to try Netvibes one of these days to replace iGoogle. I've always seen iGoogle as fun and convenient rather than critical (like reader), so I'm not all that worried about it.
Have a good weekend,
Doug
Thanks for vetting Feedly for me. I'm also trying Tweet Deck, but I doesn't seem to discriminate between articles and tweets, and my poor brain can't keep up with the blather. Waaah - me too. Dang.
Hey! Just discovered the Feedly portal will play BBC videos on my Android, something GR wouldn't do, for whatever reason. I thought it was Android, but all along it was the GR/Android interface stopping my joy. Cool. Thanks again!
Netvibes - best RSS ever
Hi Bill,
This old dog is rather enjoying Feedly, but I am also going to experiment with a couple other readers as well. It's always a pleasant surprise when a new feature or capability is the reward for a change!
Doug
Thanks, Kenn. On your recommendation, I'll give it a spin!
Doug