The service to read news Google Reader in a certain time it will cease to be active and this has been confirmed by the Mountain View company ... and this has not sat well with some users who used it daily and who, therefore, are forced to change the application for their RSS .
The announced date for the end of Google Reader has been indicated to occur on July 1, but there are some who do not give up to this happening and are trying to make the Mountain View think about their decision ... This is little possible, since Google is not very given to "back down" in the decisions it makes, but it is no less true that the attempts that are being made are, some, of the most curious.
An example of this is that a group has launched a campaign in Change.org called Let's save Google Reader to collect digital signatures and, if a good number is reached, try to pressure the developers and the company ... we will see if something is achieved, but the intent is there and you can add your grain of sand in this link (I have already done).
Almost have been fulfilled the real needs
The truth is that once the signatures collected are reviewed, the surprise is significant (especially for Dan Lewis, the campaign's main promoter), as no less than 121.000 signatures have been collected so far, putting us very close to reaching the 150.000 goal… and, it seems, this goal will be far exceeded. Both the number and variety are surprising, with signatories from countries such as Spain, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom.
So it seems that the end of Google Reader has been very bad news for many and it is no wonder that services such as Feedly are delighted, as they have applications that do the same thing although in a different way… and, just in this case, it has already been announced that they have experienced a growth of 500.000 new users since the announcement of the end of the option offered by Mountain View. Will you sign up?
Reasons for Google's closure and strategy
The company itself has pointed out two main reasons: decline in use and need to concentrate efforts in fewer products. Along these lines, Google has been eliminating dozens of services with little or no overlap. Some have interpreted the move as an attempt to boost other platforms in the company or open up space for new formats. news and magazines on Play, although none of this has been definitively confirmed.
The mobilization: figures and scope
The community's reaction was immediate: in 24h There was already talk of something close to 50.000 signatures; after two days, the threshold of 100.000 was left behind; in a few hours, intermediate milestones were recorded, such as 91.000 y 107.132 supports, and subsequently surpassed records of 121.000, 130.000 and even around 140.000 between different active petitions. In addition, a very significant fraction of the signatures come from places where Reader is used as way against censorship: Three-quarters originate outside the U.S., with approximately 12% from countries marked by restrictions on the Internet and a 2% from those considered "enemies of the Internet." This support is explained because Reader, by using HTTPS and redirects to international servers, it was more difficult to block; hence its use in regions such as Iran. Also, various Hispanic media and blogs—such as projects like Pastel de Bits, ExpertoApple, or SEO Mántico—promoted requests for the Spanish and Spanish-speaking public, channeling local discontent.
What to do now: alternatives and migration
As Google is pressured, many users are moving to Feedly, which reported a strong increase and offers a simple transition. Options such as The Old Reader (with an experience close to the classic Reader) and NewsBlur (with additional features and paid plans). To avoid losing anything, it's key to export your subscriptions with Google Takeout, which allows you to download the OPML file and migrate it with just a few clicks to the chosen tool.
Can Google change its decision?
It would not be usual: the company rarely back up. In previous closures—Answers, Wave, or Buzz—there was hardly any comparable resistance. However, now the pressure is greater and better articulated, with arguments that appeal to the user confidence in the Google ecosystem and the critical role of Reader in professional workflows. There is also speculation about internal movements focused on other social platforms or new forms of content distribution, which leaves the door open—albeit narrow—for some kind of continuity.
The signature campaign has revealed how much millions of people relied on a reliable, hard-to-censor RSS reader, and has accelerated the search for solid alternatives. Between corporate motives, social pressure, and the app ecosystem, the Google Reader case marks a turning point in how business decisions are balanced with the needs of the public. real needs of the community.