farewell, google reader (part 2): for blog writers
July 1 is quickly approaching, and with its arrival we say goodbye to Google Reader. Much has been said across the web about the alternatives to Google Reader and what this means for the fate of Feedburner. Hopefully by now you’ve found a replacement RSS Reader and transferred your subscriptions over. If not, there’s still a bit of time left!
For blog owners and writers, it is important to educate your readers.
No matter how prepared you are personally, if your readers have not taken the step to switch from Google Reader to another option, they will no longer receive your blog posts once July 1 arrives.
If you have not done so already, I highly recommend that you devote a post (or at least a portion of one) to making sure your readers know that Google Reader is going away. Even though online chatter has been talking about this for months, it’s worth it to cover all the bases and inform subscribers who may not have heard. There’s really no need for panic, so suggesting alternatives will help give them a plan to move forward and continue receiving your posts.
Previously, we discussed how to keep reading your favorite blogs, and as expected, the field of alternatives to Google Reader is widening. Let’s take a fresh look at the best options for RSS Readers.
Feedly
The general consensus continues to be that Feedly is the best alternative to Google Reader. The transition from Google Reader to Feedly is relatively seamless, but you must make the move before July 1. Just this week, Feedly announced that they have started migrating their users to their own infrastructure, a move that should be complete by June 21. If you’re a Feedly user, take note of this:
“Over the next 2-3 days you should expect to receive a green banner message (desktop) or a green card (mobile). “This is the notification that your feeds and categories and up to 1,000 starred items have been successfully migrated to the Feedly cloud and the articles you are seeing are coming from the Feedly service.” (source: feedly)
I have been using Feedly personally for over a year and find it to be a quality, user friendly feed reader with more viewing options than Google Reader. Feedly is free, and there are plans to add a paid service later this year.
Digg
One of the most anticipated alternatives, a Reader from Digg, will launch on June 26. Reports indicate that this will be a simple, fast Reader option. It will launch with the basics and continue to add features based on user feedback. This is an option I certainly plan to check out upon its release. You can read more about it at The Washington Post.
An interesting (and visually appealing) alternative for your iOS and Android devices, Flipboard offers seamless integration of your Google Reader subscriptions and the ability to save anything from the web in a magazine-type format. It includes the ability to add your social networks as well. The deal breaker for me here is that it’s currently only user-friendly for iPhone, iPad, and Android. Since I need something that works on my computer as well as mobile devices, I’m giving this one a pass. If they develop a specific desktop version as well, I might be hooked.
Pulse
Another quality option for following your favorite sites is Pulse. Pulse offers a highly visual tiled interface. I find it a bit overwhelming, but I know others who simply love it.
I think we can expect to see the field of RSS Readers continue to broaden and improve as Google Reader fades into memory. While the initial change may require some adjustments, the end result will likely be more great, user-friendly options.
Whatever path you decide to take, make sure you’ve shifted over before July 1,
and don’t forget to inform your blog’s reader that they need to do the same!
If you missed it, read part one here: Farewell Google Reader: How to Keep Reading Your Favorite Blogs.
