WebProNews

Tag: Readers

  • Feedly Pro Launches with Search, HTTPS, and Better Support

    Feedly, the RSS reader that took an early and substantial lead when everybody went shopping for a Google Reader replacement, has finally taken the veil off its premium service. Today, the company launched Feedly Pro, which looks to improve search, security, and support.

    Upgrading to Feedly Pro will give you article search – which has been absent from Feedly for some time. The previous search was the Google Reader search, but since Feedly has had to stop relying on that, they’ve had to rebuild search from scratch. The Pro version also adds https for extra security, one-click saving via Evernote, and premium support, which will move you to the front of the support queue whenever you have a problem.

    Feedly Pro will cost $5 per month, or you can pay $45 for a year’s subscription and save $15. Wide availability will begin later this fall, but Feedly is offering the Pro service to 5,000 users right now – and they’re offering a “lifetime edition.” If you decide to upgrade now, you can have Feedly Pro forever for only $99.

    Feedly says that Feedly Pro will keep getting better.

    “We will be introducing new pro features regularly. The next batch of features will be decided on by feedly pro users themselves, as you will get to vote on what features you would like feedly to develop next…The funds will finance the hardware needed to make feedly pro generally available and help support the next batch of features,” says the company.

    This won’t change Feedly’s free service, which will continue to run as is. Feedly says this definitely doesn’t mean that they will be neglecting the free version either. They’re offering a 7-day trial, and will give users a full refund if they are unsatisfied with the Pro version.

  • Apparently, Larry Page Didn’t Give a Damn About Google Reader, So It Died

    When we talk about the story of Google Reader’s tragic demise, there’s the corporate excuse, the speculation, and the additional speculation. But here’s another possible reason: Google Reader died because Larry Page and the higher ups simply didn’t care enough about it.

    And because of that, nobody stepped up to lead the product.

    At least that’s one version of the story, according to a report from Buzzfeed. They cite several sources familiar with the matter who say that Larry Page and his “inner circle of lieutenants” simply didn’t see Google Reader as an “important strategic priority.” So when the product found itself without and engineering head, nobody wanted to devote any more time into it because they saw it as a losing horse.

    Still, this scenario, while plausible, doesn’t address the deeper question of why Larry Page and his higher-ups had such little interest in keeping Google Reader going.

    When Google first announced that they were killing the beloved RSS reader, here’s what the had to say:

    “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.”

    Blaming it on user disinterest seemed a bit disingenuous to some, especially considering the massive outpouring of anger and sadness following the decision.

    A few weeks later, Google’s Senior Director of News & Social Products Richard Gringas blamed its failure on a shift in the way we consume news:

    “As a culture we have moved into a realm where the consumption of news is a near-constant process. Users with smartphones and tablets are consuming news in bits and bites throughout the course of the day – replacing the old standard behaviors of news consumption over breakfast along with a leisurely read at the end of the day,” he said.

    Of course, some speculate that it was a money thing, or it was a play to drive more use of Google+, or that Google wasn’t able to mine the right kind/amount of user data from Reader.

    In reality, it was probably a combination of some/all of these factors. But it sure doesn’t help if the big guy is completely disinterested in the product.

  • RIP, Google Reader. So, What Now?

    R.I.P., Google Reader – 2005-2013.

    It’s better to burn out than it is to fade away, right? For many Google Reader users, this will feel like a burn out. Even though Google announced that they would be killing their 8-year-old RSS reader product way back in March and gave users nearly 4 months to migrate to another service – some Google Reader users will still feel the sting as service goes quiet.

    But for Google, Reader has been fading away. In their discussion on why they were choosing to ax it, Google was brief and to the point.

    “While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader.”

    Were you a Google Reader user? What’s your next step? Let us know in the comments.

    Of course, the announcement caused one hell of a freakout from the Google Reader devotees. Apparently, Google Reader was still popular – but not popular enough. A few months later, a News and Social Director at Google elaborated a bit more on the Reader shutdown.

    “As a culture we have moved into a realm where the consumption of news is a near-constant process. Users with smartphones and tablets are consuming news in bits and bites throughout the course of the day – replacing the old standard behaviors of news consumption over breakfast along with a leisurely read at the end of the day,” said Richard Gringras.

    Apparently, Google Reader was dying because news consumption is changing. Gringas also added that they were looking at “pervasive means to surface news across [Google’s] products to address each user’s interest with the right information at the right time via the most appropriate means.”

    Google’s definitely not done with the news, There’s still plenty of opportunities to deliver feed-like functionality inside Google+, or selective updates via Google Now, for instance. What it feels like, however, is a push toward Google+. When Gringas says news consumption has shifted to “bits and bites,” you may immediately think Twitter. But of course, Google wants you to think Google+ as well.

    And there’s some underlying architecture in Google+ that at least partially mimics a “reader” of sorts. Instead of RSS subscriptions, Google+ lets you follow the news site or blog in question. And with that “following” circle, you can see all of the most recent updates made by the blogs you follow. But it’s not the same as a true RSS reader – updates are selective. As of right now, Google+ simply cannot provide the complete stream of content that a traditional RSS reader can – in fact, no social network can.

    But it’s clear that Google wishes us to move in that direction. And it’s also clear that they are 100% done with operating a basic RSS reader. Not only that, but they’re moving away from any sort of RSS in general. Along with Google Reader, Google just killed RSS alerts as well.

    As a person who relied pretty heavily on these RSS alerts, here’s Chris Crum’s take. Feel his pain:

    I can’t speak for all Google Reader/RSS users, but RSS alerts have long been an important part of how I find information on the web pertaining to specific topics. It’s always been a more attractive option to me than email, because I don’t really want my email inbox cluttered up with all of these alerts (I’ve been subscribed to quite a few). I had them all organized to go into specific folders in Google Reader (now Feedly), so they came up where relevant. Now, those of us who do this are going to have to rethink our entire Alerts strategy.

    It’s not the end of the world. We’ll move on, just as we’re moving on from Google Reader, but damn is in inconvenient at the moment.

    He’ll move on. We’ll all move on from Google Reader. Google’s eradication of all things RSS is just a pain in the ass – that’s all.

    Luckily, there are plenty of alternatives – both services that were already there, waiting for their moment to move to the front of the line, and services that popped up in the wake of Google’s announcement.

    There’s Netvibes, The Old Reader, Bloglovin’, NewsBlur, FlipBoard, Pulse (which LinkedIn is apparently buying), and Zite, just to name a few.

    And Feedly, which has been a favorite for Google Reader users who have migrated early.

    Then you have your new kids on the block from established names. Both AOL and Digg have launched their own readers in the past week – both currently in beta.

    But Google Reader is dead. And you’re either going to have to move on to another RSS reader or abandon RSS altogether. If you’re looking to do the former, Google is giving everyone until July 15th to retrieve all of their subscription data via Google Takeout. After that, all of that data will be gone forever.

    Let’s pour one out for Google Reader.

    Which RSS reader have you migrated to in the wake of Google Reader’s demise? Do you think RSS still has a place in news consumption? Let us know in the comments.

  • You Can Retrieve Your Google Reader Data Until July 15th

    If you’re a Google Reader user, you know that the service officially went offline yesterday, July 1st. We knew it was coming – Google gave us nearly 4 months of warning. But when Reader finally stopped receiving updates, well, it felt kind of abrupt. Oh well, on to the next reader.

    But in order to move on to that next reader, you’re probably going to need your Google Reader subscription data. Good news, procrastinators: Your data hasn’t been wiped out – yet. Google Reader may have gone dark on July 1st, but you have another two weeks to snag your data from Google.

    Using Google Takeout, you have until July 15th at 12 pm PST to retrieve your subscription data.

    After that, it will be “irrevocably deleted.” Gone. Forever.

    Google didn’t offer any more info on Reader’s shutdown in the blog post, only the information on data retrieval.

    “We understand you may not agree with this decision, but we hope you’ll come to love these alternatives as much as you loved Reader.”

    Google links to a site listing RSS reader alternatives.

    For more on Google Reader’s demise, check here.

  • Digg Reader Rollout Starts Today, iOS App Coming Tomorrow

    As announced, today, June 26th, Digg is beginning to roll out their new Digg Reader in beta.

    The first invites have already gone out to their survey participants that gave them guidance on what kind of reader to build over the last few months. Now, Digg is sending out invites to those who have signed up for a peek at the beta.

    (If you’ve yet to do so, you can do it here)

    Digg reiterates that their new reader is primarily targeted at Google Reader refugees:

    “This beta version is aimed first and foremost at Google Reader users looking for a new home in advance of its imminent shutdown. Once you connect your Google Account, you’ll find all of your feeds and folders set up and ready to go. And even if you’re not a Google Reader refugee, come on in! You can build up your list of sources by browsing recommended publishers or searching for feeds via the “Add” button,” they say.

    Digg Reader beta launches with keyboard shortcuts, social media sharing, saving features, and recommendations for feeds to follow. In the future, Digg says they will add search, “mark as unread” feature, more sharing options, and data exporting.

    And we’re getting an app – tomorrow, they say. Well, iOS users are. Android users are going to have to wait. That’s one of Digg’s promises for the future, which they say will be completed by the end of next month.

    Once we have a chance to take a look, we’ll be back with a full walkthrough. For not, Digg joins a crowded list of RSS readers looking to replace the beloved (but not beloved enough) Google Reader – including AOL, who just launched their product earlier this week.

  • ‘Facebook Reader’ Has Been in the Works for Over a Year [REPORT]

    Even before Google announced their decision to shut down Google Reader, Facebook was already hard at work developing a Flipboard-style news reader, according to a new report.

    The Wall Street Journal says that Facebook has called the product “Reader” internally, and they’ve been working on it for over a year.

    From the WSJ:

    The social network has been quietly working on a service, internally called Reader, that displays content from Facebook users and publishers in a new visual format tailored for mobile devices, people with knowledge of the matter said.

    The project, which the company has been developing for more than a year, is designed to showcase news content in particular. Recent versions of Reader resemble Flipboard Inc., a smartphone and tablet app that aggregates stories from multiple sources and lets users swipe to flip through articles, said the people with knowledge of the project.

    This is actually not the first time we’ve heard of a Facebook reader of sorts – it’s sort of secondary confirmation. Earlier this month, a developer who closely watches changes in Facebook code discovered some new mentions of RSS feeds thrown in there.

    As Tom Waddington described it:

    A new entry appeared – now users have RSS feeds, each RSS feed has multiple entries, and a list of subscribers. What’s surprising is that the code mentions RSS specifically, and distinctly from existing interest lists and friend lists. Also, note that this is unconnected to Facebook outputting RSS feeds, which they’ve done for a while.

    So it is looking more and more like this visual, Flipboard-style Facebook Reader is actually a real thing. There’s not word on Facebook’s timetable for launch – if there even is one. But it looks like it may be there, in the works.

    If Facebook unveils this new product, it’s going to face competition from existing readers, as well as new breaks into the crowded space from the likes of Digg and AOL. But Facebook could have a huge advantage over those companies – considering how they could integrate their massive user graph into a new reader to make it more social than anyone else possibly could. It’ll be interesting to see how a Facebook Reader plays with the rest of Facebook – you can bet they will be more than friends.

  • Could Facebook Be Working on an RSS Reader?

    Developer Tom Waddington, who has a history of finding stuff buried in Facebook’s code, has found something there that makes him believe that Facebook may be looking to throw its hat in the Google Reader replacement ring.

    Is Facebook working on a RSS Reader of their own?

    Waddington spotted some mentions of RSS feeds in Facebook’s code. It’s a pretty timely spot, considering Google is about to shutter the most popular RSS reader (but not popular enough, obviously) on July 1st.

    Here’s how he describes it:

    A new entry appeared – now users have RSS feeds, each RSS feed has multiple entries, and a list of subscribers. What’s surprising is that the code mentions RSS specifically, and distinctly from existing interest lists and friend lists. Also, note that this is unconnected to Facebook outputting RSS feeds, which they’ve done for a while.

    Facebook has let users “subscribe” to the posts of users and pages for some time. And in the distant past, you could also subscribe via RSS to page content. But a true RSS reader? That’s never been Facebook’s game.

    Google’s on the way out of that game, though. There are currently plenty of other RSS readers looking to pick up the pieces when Google Reader officially crumbles and sends users scavenging for a lifeline. Also, Digg is on the verge of unveiling it’s supposed Google Reader replacement. Until now, the was the biggest name involved in the RSS right. If Facebook joined the party, it would be a big, big deal.

    [Tom Waddington via Mashable]

  • Digg Reader Will Not Be a Standalone App, Launching By the End of June

    Digg’s new RSS reader will be out in about a month – but it won’t be a standalone app.

    Instead, Digg’s new reader will simply be a part of Digg. Speaking at Internet Week New York, Digg CEO Andrew McLaughlin said that users will ”have one download, which is Digg, and the current Digg will have added onto it reader capabilities.”

    Oh, and yes, Digg’s reader will be called “Digg Reader.”

    Ever since Digg announced that they were working on their own reader, shortly after Google announced that they were killing Google Reader, the goal has been to build a replacement – something fast and simple that Google Reader users will want to adopt. Digg has said that apart from making it fast and simple, they really only want to make it synchronous across multiple devices and make it easy to import from existing Google Reader accounts.

    Digg’s own surveys have shown that users want very little changed about Google Reader.

    Another interesting thing that they found was that 40% of respondents said that they would pay for a Google Reader replacement – something that “pleased” them. They went on to say that they wanted their users ““to be customers, not our product.”

    “Free products on the Internet don’t have a great track record. They tend to disappear, leaving users in a lurch. We need to build a product that people can rely on and trust will always be there for them. We’re not sure how pricing might work, but we do know that we’d like our users to be our customers, not our product. So when we asked survey participants whether or not they would be willing to pay, we were pleased to see that over 40% said yes.”

    Although there’s no confirmation here, that makes it seem like Digg is at least strongly considering charging for Digg Reader. And if that’s the case, and it’s not even its own standalone app, is Digg just trying to charge people to use Digg?

    Anyway, McLaughlin confirmed that Digg Reader will launch by the end of June, just in time for the Google Reader kill date of July 1st. Hopefully for Digg, that’s not too late. By then, users will have had months to find a replacement, and there are certainly plenty out there.

  • Digg Is Probably Going to Charge for Its Google Reader Replacement

    Digg has just published the results of part 2 of their user survey into what makes a good RSS reader. It’s all part of their quest to build a Google Reader replacement, which they announced on the same day Google announced they would be killing their product in July.

    In part 1, we learned that users want very little changed – they want a simple, fast, feature-light RSS reader. This time around, Digg found that a majority of users aren’t really into social features inside readers. They also uncovered that 40% would pay for a good reader. And that led Digg to all but announce that Digg Reader will be a paid service.

    Although they don’t come right out and say it, Digg says that they were “pleased” to see that 40% of their survey respondents said that they would pay for a Google Reader replacement.

    Also, Digg says that they would like their users “to be customers, not our product.” Sounds like Digg is pretty much set on charging for their RSS reader:

    Free products on the Internet don’t have a great track record. They tend to disappear, leaving users in a lurch. We need to build a product that people can rely on and trust will always be there for them. We’re not sure how pricing might work, but we do know that we’d like our users to be our customers, not our product. So when we asked survey participants whether or not they would be willing to pay, we were pleased to see that over 40% said yes.

    Although Google Reader was a free product, and yes, it is being shuttered, I’m not sure it’s accurate to say that free products on the internet don’t have a great track record. Plenty of free products have thrived and continue to thrive, with the help of advertising.

    Either way, Digg probably needs to go ahead and get their reader on the market – sooner rather than later. It’s already been over a month and a half since Google announced the end of Google Reader. Users have already had plenty of time to find alternatives like Feedly, NewsBlur, Netvibes, FlipBoard, and many, many more. Digg has targeted June for the beta release – but will that be too late? And how amazing would it have to be to get people to pay for it?

  • Digg’s Google Reader Replacement Will Be Fast, Simple, and Play Well With Social Media

    Just hours after Google made the unsurprisingly unpopular decision to kill off Google Reader on July 1st, Digg announced their plans to build their own RSS reader – one that will serve as a replacement both in functionality and in spirit. Although Digg said that they were “confident [they] can cook up a worthy successor,” it appears that they have combed through the user feedback and constructed an outline of the product they hope to build, based on what former Google Reader users really want.

    And there was a lot of feedback. According to Digg, their blog post announcing the Google Reader replacement received over 800 comments – more than when Digg announced the big Digg redesign back in July.

    Here’s what Digg says were the four overarching trends they found in the user feedback, meaning these are the things that former Google Reader users want to see in a Digg Reader:

    1. Keep it simple, stupid
    2. Make it fast (like, really fast)
    3. Synchronize across devices
    4. Make it easy to import from existing Google Reader accounts

    As we know, simplicity is one of the things about Google Reader that users seem to be the most fond of.

    “Google did a lot of things right with its Reader, but based on what we’re hearing from users, there is room for meaningful improvement. We want to build a product that’s clean and flexible, that bends easily and intuitively to the needs of different users,” says Digg.

    And they are also planning on building a reader that better incorporates content from Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, reddit, LinkedIn and other, more social places.

    Digg says that they have been planning on building their own Reader for some time, but were forced to expedite their plans after Google dropped the hammer on Reader.

    “We’re confident we can ship a product that meets the principles above, but if a feature is missing on Day 1 that you were really looking forward to, we ask that you 1) tell us and 2) be patient.”

  • Save Google Reader Petition Quickly Tops 100,000 Signatures

    Within hours of Google announcing that they would be shutting down Google Reader on July 1st, a handful of petitions popped up that urged the company to reconsider.

    Those petitions included a few on Change.org, a single-serving site called keepgooglereader.com, and even a White House petition on the We The People site. That latter was quickly removed by the administrators before it could garner more than a few hundred signatures. Clearly, telling Google to maintain Google Reader is outside the purview of the Obama administration.

    Out of all the petitions, one has risen above the rest. That particular petition, hosted on Change.org, simply asks Google to Keep Google Reader Running. And in less than two days, that petition has already crossed the 100,000 signature mark. Its next goal is to hit 150,000, which is most definitely achievable considering it’s gaining a hundred or so signatures every few minutes.

    Here’s the full petition:

    Dear Google:

    A few years ago — years, wow — Google Reader was one of my go-to social networks. It was an accidental one. I was using it for its intended purpose — aggregating and reading a lot of web content in one place — but it turns out, a lot of other people were doing the same thing. A lot. Many of which shared interests and when you added the amazing (amazing!) share and comment features, Google Reader blossomed into a wonderful experience for many of us, core to our day-to-day consumption of content online.

    Unfortunately, you decided to kill those “extra” functions. I’m not here to ask you to reverse that (you should, though). In doing so, Google Reader’s day-to-day value declined, and I, like many, ended up using it less often. Instead of hitting the bookmarklet I have on my Chrome install three, four times a day, it’s now a once a day (okay, once every other day more often, recently) experience.

    But it’s still a core part of my Internet use. And of the many, many others who are signed below.

    Our confidence in Google’s other products — Gmail, YouTube, and yes, even Plus — requires that we trust you in respecting how and why we use your other products. This isn’t just about our data in Reader. This is about us using your product because we love it, because it makes our lives better, and because we trust you not to nuke it.

    Oh.

    So, please don’t destroy that trust. You’re a huge corporation, with a market cap which rivals the GDP of nations. You’re able to dedicate 20% of your time to products which may never seen the light of day. You experiment in self-driving cars and really cool eyewear which we trust (trust!) you’ll use in a manner respectful to our needs, interests, etc.

    Show us you care.

    Don’t kill Google Reader.

    So it’s obvious that plenty of people are upset about Google’s decision. Although Google cited a decline in usage as the motivation behind canning Reader, the product clearly has a loyal and substantial following.

    But will this incredible show of support for Google Reader make any difference? I wouldn’t hold my breath. Google has killed 70 products or features since instituting “spring cleaning” back in 2011, and Google Reader is simply one of those layers of fat that needs to be trimmed, in Google’s eyes. Google admitted that the decision was a tough one, but in the end they need to do this in order to focus on other, newer and more innovative products as not the “spread themselves too thin.”

    And that very well mean sending resources to work on Google+.

    If Google decides to go through with the kill, which it probably will, where does that leave RSS readers? Alternatives already exists, such as Feedly or Newsblur. You can bet that there will be a race to fill the massive void left by Google Reader’s departure. Take for instance Digg, who announced yesterday that they were prioritizing plans to build their own reader that will serve as a replacement for Google’s – API and all.

    So, a hundred thousand signatures in less-than 48 hours is a big deal. Hell, it’s a landslide of support for Google Reader. Unfortunately for the signers, Change.org is not the We The People site and Google isn’t the White House. 100,000 signatures does not force Google to respond. But I wouldn’t use that as a reason to stop spreading the word.

    Stranger things have happened.

  • Digg: We’re Building a Reader to Replace Google Reader

    If you were wondering which RSS reader is going to step up and fill the void left when Google yanks Google Reader out from under us on July 1st, Digg has your answer.

    It’s Digg. The answer is Digg.

    On their blog, Digg has just announced plans to build a reader to replace Google Reader both in function, and in our hearts.

    The news aggregation site says that RSS isn’t dead yet , and it’s worth saving. Apparently, Digg has had plans to build its own reader for some time, planning to start the project in the second half of 2013. But Google’s announcement that they were canning their own Reader has forced Digg to “move the project to the top of their priority list.” Work on the new reader begins today.

    According to Digg, the reader will be comparable to, if not mimic Google Reader – even down to the API.

    “We hope to identify and rebuild the best of Google Reader’s features (including its API), but also advance them to fit the Internet of 2013, where networks and communities like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit and Hacker News offer powerful but often overwhelming signals as to what’s interesting. Don’t get us wrong: we don’t expect this to be a trivial undertaking. But we’re confident we can cook up a worthy successor,” says Digg.

    Digg? Why not Digg? Someone has to step up. There are plenty of Google Reader alternatives out there right now, such as Newsblur, Feedly, FeedReader, and Bloglines. Plus, there are those magazine-style readers that kind of work like an RSS reader – we’re talking things like Flipboard or Pulse. But Digg, even having seen some troubled times over the past few years, has that name recognition. We’ll be anxious to see what they come up with.