We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months.
~ Source
In other words, if you go read your blogs via Google reader, make your goodbyes now because it will be gone by July 1. However, you can still read blogs, such as mine, with these other free alternatives, which are going to be in a pros and cons list* for your convenience.
Follow by email (in the sidebar):
Pros:
- The post will come to you via email.
Cons:
- It may take about a day or a few hours for it to arrive to you by email.**
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Pros:
- You can choose your own reader.
- Simple design
- Easy to use
Cons:
- None that I can see of
Pros:
- Lets you follow and read as many blogs as you want, all in one place.
- Clean design
- Allows you to claim your blog to check how many followers you have on bloglovin.
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Won’t automatically update your blog, not unless you have at least someone following it.
- It doesn't have the option of automatically linking to your Google reader, meaning you have to manually follow all the blogs you are following.
Pros:
- Allows you to link your blog posts to your twitter and/or facebook page.
- Nice-looking design.
Cons:
- I think you have to manually put your blog on there.
- You have to follow blogs that are connected to Networkedblogs.
Pros:
- Lets you follow and read as many blogs as you want, all in one place.
- User friendly
- Customizable theme
- Allows you to connect automatically to your Google reader (saving you the trouble of having to manually follow every one of the blogs that your read).
- Works well on all devices
- Allows you to organize the blogs that you follow
- Also, a browser extension
Cons:
- You have to manually connect to a few blogs that it missed when connecting to your Google reader.
- It won’t update a few blogger’s headings.
Option three: You are very welcome to choose another reader that I haven’t mentioned above; after all, it is your life.
By now, as you probably seen in the feedly picture, I’ve made the switch from Google reader to feedly. And I enjoy it so far, because it’s easy for me to use, and I don’t have to worry about if that site even has their blog or will update it once I follow them. Plus, it’s one of the few site that is actually allowed on my school network, which is nice because I’m tired of having to type https://[insert-website name here].com.
Now the whole talk about switching to someplace new is making me a bit curious about something. Where are you guys switching to, once Google reader is gone?
*pros and cons list: the list is based off of what I've experienced with each site, and it may be a bit biased, and it may not be entirely true.
**It may take about a day or a few hours for it to arrive to you by email: it depends on the email subscription site itself. Blogger for example, only allows a post to go to your email during a certain time of day, most likely letting you get the blog post one day after it was published. While on Wordpress, the post instantly goes to your email right after the post was just published.
