The announcement of Google Reader’s shutdown on the 13th of March, 2013, elicited a massive hue and cry from all corners of the globe, as hoards of loyal fans poured out their disappointment through blog posts, emails, and internet forums.
< Image Credit – lifehacker >
In the culmination of Google closing all reader development initiatives in October of 2011, its News Feed Reader is finally all set to bid adieu to its vast number of rattled followers, come July 1st 2013.
Google Reader had become to most bloggers and net aficionados, more than a news source, more like a comfortable pair of old jeans. Now, getting on the bandwagon of alternative-seekers, we find ourselves in a mad rush to make a vital adjustment in our virtual online lives.
We keep sifting through the web and scoping out possible substitutes such as Reddit, Twitter, Storify, and Pinboard. We hear of distant cousins like Hacker News, Slashdot, and Prismatic, but it’s just not the same!
My personal search has turned up a couple of alternatives that I feel are worth a look, have a look to all of them
Google Reader Alternatives
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The Old Reader: A remake of the 2011 Google Reader, this feed reader has found nearly 45,000 new users since Google’s final bow announcement this year. It has more of a ‘Back to the old’ appeal.
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Reeder: Reeder is meant exclusively for Mac users, and is not free. It is at present plugged into the Google Reader source, but can function as an individual feed reader beyond the shutdown.
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Newsblur: Newsblur is an RSS feed reader that seems to be Google Reader’s closest visual substitute. Although there are a couple of developments it may have undergone over the years.
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Feedly: This is a standalone source probably developed with the expectation of a Google blow out such as this. With an interface having absorbed most of Google Reader’s exceptional characteristics, this RSS reader’s only drawback is that it does not seem to work with Internet Explorer.
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Digg: Digg has stated that it would be releasing a new news reader this year, equipped with all the positive features of Google Reader plus a few enhancements for the 2013 Internet generation.
Yet of all the alternatives available, the one that shines through as the most reliable has to be WordPress’s Reader.
It has been under two years since WordPress.com launched its Reader. The Reader was last updated in January of this year, and is being tweaked as we speak.
Do go through this list of pros in adapting the WordPress Reader as your RSS feed reader:-
1. Easy Feed Transfer
You can transfer all your Google Reader feed over to WordPress’s Reader in no time. Google Reader actually paves the way for this by providing an export path.
2. It’s Neat
It has a clean and clear interface, none of those knickknacks that clutter up the board.
3. Looks cool
It has an eye-catching design.
4. Easy to use
The Reader is extremely simple and user-friendly.
5. Navigational dream
It is supremely easy to navigate, offering suggested blog lists and exceptional search optimization within the WP.com blog realm.
6. Gives importance to visuals
Having recognized the vitality of visual aids, this RSS reader offers 595px + photo display capacities in dazzling detail, along with posts.
7. Addition of Feeds
WordPress’s Reader supports RSS/Atom, which means that adding external feed sources becomes a breeze with Chrome or Firefox’s ‘follow’ extensions.
8. Mobile OS Compatibility
This reader provides a mobile version for iOS or Android, through the WordPress.com application for the same.
9. Jetpack features
It furnishes a Jetpack plug-in if you self-host a WordPress site.
In addition to all these, WordPress assures all new users that its reader is being developed and updated to include bigger and better features this year.
So all you Google Reader disciples; do not despair. We as yet have a savior in the form of WordPress.com. I’m sure that once you check in, you may find the WP Reader settling around you like a second skin. After all, 2013 is all about change.
Article by Vishal
Vishal Gaikar is a professional blogger from Pune, India. If you like this post, you can follow him on Twitter.
