Google Reader was created in early 2005 by Google engineer Chris Wetherell and launched on 7th October 2005 through Google Labs.

I can’t remember when I first started using Google Reader, but my guess it would be around in 2006. Ever since then, I have been using Google Reader on a daily basis (even weekends and when I am on holiday).

Google Reader Logo
Google Reader Logo

My Google Reader Stats

From your 113 subscriptions, over the last 30 days you read 17,392 items, clicked 211 items, starred 0 items, and emailed 0 items. Since August 9, 2011 you have read a total of 300,000+ items

Today, Google announced they will be shutting down Google Reader on the 1st July 2013, which came to a shock to me and many others on the Internet.

Powering Down Google Reader (from the official Google Reader blog):

We have just announced on the Official Google Blog that we will soon retire Google Reader (the actual date is July 1, 2013). We know Reader has a devoted following who will be very sad to see it go. We’re sad too.

There are two simple reasons for this: usage of Google Reader has declined, and as a company we’re pouring all of our energy into fewer products. We think that kind of focus will make for a better user experience.

To ensure a smooth transition, we’re providing a three-month sunset period so you have sufficient time to find an alternative feed-reading solution. If you want to retain your Reader data, including subscriptions, you can do so through Google Takeout.

Thank you again for using Reader as your RSS platform.

So if you have any other good (free or paid) alternatives, do let me know in the comments section.

#1 Feedly
Looks like Feedly is a good alternative to Google Reader, in it’s blog post, Transitioning from Google Reader to feedly, it says:

Google announced today that they will be shutting down Google Reader. This is something we have been expecting for some time: We have been working on a project called Normandy which is a feedly clone of the Google Reader API – running on Google App Engine. When Google Reader shuts down, feedly will seamlessly transition to the Normandy back end. So if you are a Google Reader user and using feedly, you are covered: the transition will be seamless.

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