The World Is Surprisingly Angry About the End of Google Reader

The demise of Google Reader's share features

[bill]

The World Is Surprisingly Angry About the End of Google Reader [theatlanticwire.com]

The demise of Google Reader's share features is affecting everyone from RSS-junkies to Iranian freedom fighters, and many of them are very displeased. Google Reader itself is very much alive and well, and in fact, the RSS reader will soon sport a slick-looking redesign. However, at some point this week, the ability to follow, friend and share links within Reader will cease to exist, as Google pushes people to use Google+ for those kinds of things. Along with it, the myriad communities that depended on Reader for years for everything from meeting new people to organizing protests will just have to figure something else out. It turns out Google wasn't so bad at social networks, after all.

I never bothered much with this feature of Reader, so I'm not going to mourn its passing. How about the rest of you?

[jk3210]

I mournth not.

[Swanny007]

I use Google Reader daily, it's my sole RSS reader. I won't miss that feature one bit. All I need is "Keep unread" and I'm good.

[bill]

Now that this function is gone my Twitter and Google+ feeds are full of complaints about the loss of this feature.

Google Reader Backlash: 10,000 Users Sign Petition to Save Old Version [mashable.com]

Now that Google has officially switched to its new version of Google Reader, complete with Google+ integration, the company is facing the righteous fury of a social network it barely seemed to recognize: the Sharebros.

This small but maniacally dedicated community of Google Reader users was able to share stories and comments with each other until Monday, when the new version of Reader forced them to start using Google+. But the Sharebros are not taking the snub lying down.

Since the changes were announced earlier this month, more than 10,000 Sharebros have signed a petition to Google

[zabalex]

I am also not going to miss it a lot

[INboxFO]

Not missing it here. I use the Google Reader gadget on iGoogle, so I never used those features.