Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Life Without Google Reader

The Goodson Blogson strongly approves of any technology which allows our readers to see new postings, so the announcement of Google Reader's July 1 demise hit us especially hard. With only a few days left to export your existing RSS subscriptions to a replacement service, advice is flying from all directions of the blogosphere.

But which option should you choose? The service which has benefited the most from Google's decision to retire Reader is certainly Feedly, which has ballooned in size since Google's March announcement. Feedly allows quick import of existing Google Reader subscriptions and also exports any categorized blogs or starred items (features not available in many competitors). It's been recommended by respected law bloggers Bob Ambrogi and Jeffrey Taylor of The Droid Lawyer, as well as a popular unofficial Google tips & tricks blog.

But for a fuller range of options, check out Lifehacker's extensive guide to Google Reader alternatives, which weighs the pros and cons of Feedly, NewsBlur, The Old Reader, NewsVibe, and the soon-to-be-released Digg Reader, among others. Lifehacker also includes handy step-by-step instructions for exporting your existing RSS subscriptions. Google warns that users will be unable to export their Reader data after July 1, so undecided RSS users should export their data as soon as possible while they weigh their options.

New to RSS and not sure what all the fuss is about? Check out Common Craft's 2011 video explanation of RSS in Plain English.