As I think about it, it seems like Reader would be the natural, first-strike takedown before Blogger gets the axe. I was worried about losing the blog as early as 2011 so I took steps to purchase the domain for Exonauts (which has been live since last summer). I'm thinking it might be time to work on full site with a blog (a task which I've actually little time for, especially come this summer).
In any case, you fellas ought to look out for your blogs. And readers, now is the time to start looking at other reader apps. I use NewsRob on my Android phone, which works great. I'm a bigger fan of Google Reader for organizing though since it lets me categorize and tag blogs with ease. If you're looking for a place to start your quest, Boing Boing has a post/thread going on other services (some paid, some not).
More info:
- ABC News - Google shuts down Reader
- USA Today - Suggested replacements
- Google instructions for downloading Reader data
Yeah, this is kind of maddening. I rely on Google Reader to follow 300+ sites, not all of them RPG-related. I've jumped to Feedly for now, but I really don't like the interface and the fact that it is a browser add-on instead of a website. Still, it will do for the interim. The way I see it, it's better to make the jump now than wait until July.
ReplyDeleteI've used mostly Google services for the past seven or eight years, since it was a one-stop-shop: Google Reader, Gmail, and Blogger are my go-to web sites.
They can't kill Gmail because it makes them tons of money. I don't think they'll kill Blogger just yet, though, as it does make some money for them. Just in case, I've created a wordpress acoount for my blog if/when I have to migrate to a new platform.
There are so many blogs under Blogger it seems like something REALLY stupid for them to do. But who knows? It would suck to lose my blog. I've been running mine since 07. Even archiving it all would be a pain.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm hoping that the Blogger rumor is just that. But killing off the program that feeds readers to blogs, seems like a good opening act to shutting the blog platform down itself. I fired up a Wordpress doppelganger today as another back up.
ReplyDelete@Rufus, 2007--that's awesome!
The Something Awful thread about it said it was more or less because Reader isn't something Google could monetize very well. Unlike our blogs with things like ads and such.
ReplyDeleteAnd given the outcry about it and how much of a hammering the servers of alternatives to Reader are getting maybe Google will be a bit smarter.
Or somehow force us all to use Google + which many people are saying is their whole purpose in life now, being FACEBOOK TWO. Except with less privacy which is why Google + can go away. Lots of us LIKE having some privacy and anonymity online. (Who would guess?)