Today, Google announced that they would be shutting down their Google Reader service on July 1st of this year.
Here’s the official announcement.
This is bad news for many bloggers who use Google Reader every single day. There is already a Change.org petition set up to save Google Reader and many many people are taking their displeasure with this decision to social media.
I have to say right away that it does not look like GFC is going anywhere, so your followers are safe. For now. This is the full list of services that Google has decided to shut down this year and GFC is nowhere on that list. I recommend building followers on Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin and through email since diversification is wonderful in times like this.
Now, what do you do about this whole Google Reader disappearing thing? What happens to your info?
Getting your data from your Google Reader:
Straight from Google’s site: ” If you’d like to download a copy of all your Reader data before then, you can do so through Google Takeout. You’ll receive your subscription data in an XML file, and the following information will be downloaded as JSON files:
- List of people that you follow
- List of people that follow you
- Items you have starred
- Items you have liked
- Items you have shared
- Items shared by people you follow
- Notes you have created
- Items with comments
Click here to start downloading your Reader data from Takeout. Once downloaded, your subscription data should be easily transferable to another product, where you can continue to keep up with your online reading.”
I’ll have a video showing this step-by-step process up shortly. 1 hour later: Here’s a video showing the step-by-step process of transferring the blogs you follow in Google Reader to your Bloglovin’ account.
So once you’ve done that you should get familiar with Bloglovin or another way of reading blogs. Personally, I just use social media and old fashioned bookmarks to read my favorites. Whatever the case may be, come July 1, 2013, there is one place where you will NOT be reading blogs, and that is Google Reader.
