In a surprising move Google announced it will discontinue its RSS Reader service. The online tool was a popular way to manage RSS feeds from many Websites in addition to discovering new content. In a blog post the company said it is being discontinued because usage has been on the decline.
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.
For many, social media has taken place of RSS as a vehicle for both following and discovering content. Rather than subscribing to RSS feeds and monitoring them with a reader, people can more easily follow/subscribe individuals and organizations on Twitter and Facebook, for example.
Google
