The death of Google Reader

A short time after the shutdown of WaSP, it was announced today that Google Reader will be closed on July 1, 2013. While there are replacements available for the RSS reader itself, I can’t help but thinking of the larger picture. Is RSS dead?

RSS readers are an essential tool to keep up with blogs and news at a glance, without having to visit the sites themselves. Since this has a negative impact on ads, many authors tries to lure their visitors to their sites by only posting excerpts in their RSS feeds.

I became an avid fan of RSS readers way back in 2004 and have never looked back since. At first I used Bloglines, which was later incorporated into Google Reader.

But I guess the RSS technique was a bit too technical for many, and social networks such as Facebook provided an easier alternative. Unfortunately that alternative is much more passive, since you read what other people tell you to read, instead of actively finding your own favorites.

The natural follow-up question is to ask whether blogs are dying, but that is hopefully several years away.

In conclusion, it’s always sad to see old acquaintances pass away, but it is the way of life. For new things to emerge, one must clear away the old rubble. We don’t necessarily have to like it, but we still have to accept it.