"Google has decided – without any user consultation – to kill our beloved Google Reader, and force us all to use G+ in its stead. Without any of the functionality that made Reader so useful transferring over to make G+ work for us. In doing so, they are destroying all the features that makes Google Reader so great, and destroying a thriving community of dedicated and loyal followers. We are the demographic that Google needs the most, and we need to let them know what they are losing, and what changes they need to make to this plan to win us back. Join us for this peaceful protest outside Google's DC Headquarters, and let our voice be heard."
Buried lead: "Tim Freedom Incarnate Andrews."
@katherine And he works for Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform!
I am the people who never really used Google Reader but who hate Google+ who stand with the percent who used Google Reader percent.
Next they'll take away my Canada's Worst Driver and I'll be left without either bread OR circuses (circi?) and forced to the streets.
Fuck this shit. How I am supposed to email the Awl my witty-ass animal stories?
@BoHan Plus 1 My Ass Google.
Occupy Mountain View?
Um, I don't see it. The Official Google Reader blog talks about integrating Reader more closely with G+, and removing the sharing functions that duplicate G+, but nothing about retiring the product.
@Setec Astrology How dare you temper my outrage?
@myfanwy Exactly. Let's leave and go Occupy something.
@Setec Astrology True, but the point is that the sharing and commenting functions DON'T duplicate G+. I have a small group of people with whom I regularly share and comment on a carefully curated selection of articles every day. We have ongoing conversations. I didn't realize until this became a thing in the last couple days that this made me (well, us) weird. This does not duplicate G+, and I'm really irritated that I'm going to have to create a new circle for those people and then share and comment on things via G+ instead of Reader. I know this may seem a little out of scale, but this actually will have a major impact on my social and intellectual life!
@Setech Astrology — For many of us, the sharing functions (and their manner of implementation) were the core product. The RSS feeds were a delivery mechanism that supported the sharing and following.
Precisely.
Wait, there's a way to email links from Google Reader apart from copying the link and removing the &feed part? Who knew!
As for the other stuff, Reader has been telling me I have "1 New Follower" (some guy I used to work with?) for about three years now, so I don't think I'm going to miss that particular feature.