Last night, I signed into Google Reader to show my husband something, and I saw a horrible message: Google Reader will no longer be a service after July 1st. What in the world? I absolutely love my Google Reader, and I am really sad to hear that Google is removing another awesome service from it’s line-up.

Earlier this year (late last year), they changed the way Google Apps worked (no longer offering free Apps accounts), which meant having your email hosted for free wasn’t an option. They started charging a ton per user, and I am now using another hosting company for any new accounts.

This week, they’re announcing the retirement of Reader, and it’s just furthering my disappointment. I would have gladly paid a few bucks a month for the service, as I use it each day. But hey, I’ll happily pay someone else … After some research this morning, I wanted to share a list of alternate reader services.

• I am most likely to start using The Old Reader. In fact, I’m already viewing my feeds through them … I love the interface, but there are a few things I hope they’ll change. I’d love to see my own login (instead of having to connect through FB or Google), and I hope to see more functionality & little quirks worked out. They had a huge explosion of new users overnight, so I imagine they’ll be growing a lot. This is one service I would pay for. Hoping they’ll have a premium option.
• I was referred to Feedly by a friend, but I’m hesitant to use it since it’s backend is built on Google Reader. I am sure it won’t be an issue, or if it was, they’re already fixing that. It looks more like a news source (thumbnails for each story), but I prefer the scrolling view like Google, so this isn’t the best option for me. *Apparently, thanks Ben, you can change the view settings to be more like Google Reader. Definitely a plus.*
• If you’re looking for a desktop app, then RSS Bandit is a good option. I prefer web-based services (I tried using a desktop app for Twitter, and ended up going back to their site … I just like the convenience).
• I have heard great things about News Blur (they’ll let you create your own account) and Reeder (another desktop app).

Keep in mind, some of these new alternatives are growing really fast right now. Since the announcement, I imagine they’ll all be torn apart & re-built to attract the most customers. Be patient, and remember, Google Reader isn’t gone until July 1st, so for now, it’s a great idea to try out different options until you find the one that works best for you.

This is a great time to suggest you add this blog to your reader to get updates each time I post! Shameless plug, who cares!

I wish Apple would just take over this area … I’m sure it would be awesome. And, I’m totally serious.