El 4: Google Reader Final Countdown: What to Do Before the Shutdown

Google Reader officially shuts down after July 1. The much-loved service might be going to that great Google graveyard in the sky, but that doesn't mean news lovers are out of options.

If you've been putting off moving away from Google Reader — or if you are just now hearing about the shutdown for the first time — we've got some tips for everything you need to do before July 2.

Back Up Your Subscriptions

The single most important thing you can do before July 1 ends is to back up your existing Google Reader subscriptions.

To do that, make sure you're logged into your Google Reader account and then click this link: http://www.google.com/reader/subscriptions/export. This will download an XML file with all of your subscriptions.

If you're just getting to this after July 1, Google will have its data available in Google Takeout. Inside the bundle of files backed up from Google Reader will be a google-reader-subscriptions.xml file. This file can be used to import your subscriptions to other feed reading services.

Choose an Alternative

Once your data is backed up, the next step is to pick a feed reading alternative. There are literally dozens of alternatives but we've amassed what we think are the most promising in this gallery.

Feedly

For many users, Feedly may provide the most direct route of keeping their Google Reader experience intact.

The service, which offers web, Android and iOS apps, can interact with your existing Google Reader account or store feeds on its own backend.

The interface isn't identical to Google Reader; it's more fluid and Flipboard-esque, but it does offer a number of different views, and will keep read/unread lists in sync.

The most promising aspect of Feedly is that the company is committed to making the migration from Google Reader to its own sync servers seamless.

Feedly also has some built-in sharing tools that are reminiscent of Google Reader's old Sharebros days.

Our only real concern with Feedly is its underlying business model. Maintaining these servers isn't cheap, so how will the service monetize?

Digg Reader

Digg announced its RSS reader back in March and delivered the product at the end of June.

Digg Reader shares all of Google Reader's keybindings and carries a minimalistic style. It also has an iOS app with an Android version coming soon.

Check out our in-depth hands on with Digg Reader.

AOL Reader

A late entrant into the reader space, AOL launched its reader at the end of June.

AOL Reader is sort of a hybrid between Flipboard and Feedly. Check out our hands on with AOL Reader.

NewsBlur

NewsBlur describes itself as innovating on the shoulders of what Google Reader built. To that end, the open source project offers free web, Android and iOS apps for news reading.

In addition to letting users run their own NewsBlur instances, NewsBlur also has hosted offerings that work with its apps.

A free NewsBlur account is good for 64 feeds and 10 feeds in a River of News, but for $24 a year, users get unlimited feeds, unlimited rivers and more share options -- including private and protected shares.

Like Google Reader of old, NewsBlur lets users share feeds and stories to one another.

Feedbin

Like NewsBlur, Feedbin is an RSS service and an API.

It has a web interface very similar to Google Reader and an API that works with a variety of third-party Mac, iOS and Android apps. Some of the apps that support Feedbin include Mr. Reader for iPad, Press for Android, Reeder for iPhone and ReadKit for Mac.

Feedbin is $3 a month or $30 a year.

Feed Wrangler

Feed Wrangler is another web-based service that offers third-party app support. Similar to Feedbin, Feed Wrangler offers a web interface and native apps for iOS.

Feed Wrangler is also supported by Press for Android, Mr. Reader, Reader and ReadKit. It costs $19 a year.

Fever

Shaun Inman launched Fever in 2009 as a self-hosted alternative to feed readers such as Google Reader.

Fever works like a traditional reader, but also sorts news feeds based on hotness -- wherein links that have the most links on other sites (or within your own feeds) get more prominence on a temperature scale.

This is a pure web app, and it is optimized to run on mobile or in the desktop, though some third-party apps (including Reeder for iPhone) support accounts as well.

The only downside to Fever is that it is self-hosted, meaning users need to have their own domain, PHP install and MySQL database. It's not a hard app to install or maintain, but its self-hosted nature makes it ideal for certain types of RSS geeks. The price of Fever is $30 per instance.

I have been an avid Fever user for the last four years, and I recommend it to anyone who needs a Google Reader alternative and doesn't mind getting their hands dirty.

NetVibes

An oldie but a goodie! NetVibes was popular in the golden era of RSS clients and services.

In addition to its web-based RSS feed reading options, NetVibes also has iGoogle-style widgets.

NetVibes is still kicking and can be a good monitoring tool for different types of content, but be aware that it isn't as fast or keyboard-friendly as Google Reader. Moreover, the service doesn't integrate into third-party mobile apps.

OldReader

The Old Reader describes itself as "the old Google Reader but better," and its design and sharing features are similar to pre-October 2011 Google Reader.

While users can import feeds from their Google Reader accounts, Old Reader is having a hard time taking on the Google Reader traffic.

On the surface, Old Reader looks like a good alternative, but we're curious as to its business model and ability to sustain maintenance of a sync server.

Managing News

Managing News is definitely for DIYers, but it's an interesting project designed to let groups (or individuals) track data, RSS feeds and visualizations.

Like Fever, you'll need to install Managing News on your own server. Unlike Fever, Managing News will require a little more finessing. It's a customized Drupal 6 installation, and getting everything set up can be tricky for newcomers.

Still, the underlying technology is VERY promising, especially for groups who want a way to share feeds, comment on data and do different visualizations or keyword tracking.

Twitter Lists

Twitter isn't a perfect replacement for Google Reader but for many users, Twitter lists curated by website or influencer are often better sources of information than traditional RSS feeds.

The problem with Twitter is that it is best for a source of current and breaking news, but not as good for finding or sorting through older news.

Still, for many feed addicts, Twitter is both more immediate and better at sharing than any RSS alternative.

The two biggest contenders for the Google Reader throne are Feedly and Digg Reader.

Feedly now boasts more than 12 million users and has its own independent backend from Google Reader. One of our most-requested features — the ability to export your Feedly data to an OPML file (the special format for RSS feeds) — was recently added.

Even better, Feedly has made good on its promise to offer support for third-party apps, including Reeder, Press, Mr. Reader and more.

SEE ALSO: 6 Things We'd Change About Feedly

As for Digg Reader, Digg has big plans for the project, including API support for third-party apps and search functionality. Digg Reader also fits in with Digg's larger plans for reshaping online news discovery.

Of course, Digg Reader and Feedly aren't the only alternatives. One of the most interesting aspects of Google Reader's demise is the impact it has had on the news reading market in general. A space once ceded almost entirely to Google Reader is now full of competition.

Update Your Reading Apps

When Google Reader shuts down, it isn't just the web interface that goes away. Any RSS app that relied on Google Reader for its subscription and syncing ability will also suffer. Desktop apps such as Reeder for Mac, NetNewsWire and Feed Demon all rely or relied on Google Reader for syncing and as a feed source. This is also true for mobile apps, such as Reeder for iOS, Press, Mr. Reader and others.

While many of those apps have since been updated to remove Google Reader support (and thus manage feeds only within that app) or to include support for other feed services such as Feedbin, Feed Wrangler and Feedly, not every app has. Check with the maker of your favorite app to see their status with Google Reader integration.

Some apps, including Feed Demon, will no longer be updated. The final version of Feed Demon is now available for free and it removes Google Reader support. Users can continue to use it as a desktop news reading app, but it won't sync read status or subscriptions with any other applications.

The Mac and iPad versions of Reeder are also no longer being sold in the App Store but future versions of the app that support other feed reading services will be available in the future. Reeder for iPhone, however, supports Feedly, Feedbin, Fever and Feed Wrangler.

The Mac app NetNewsWire, which is now owned by Black Pixel, has a new version currently in beta. The beta is free for now but it does not support any third-party syncing services.

ReadKit for Mac and Mr. Reader for iPad are both doing a great job supporting multiple sync services. ReadKit supports NewsBlur, Feed Wrangler, Feedbin and Fever. Mr. Reader supports Feedbin, Feedly, Fever, Feed Wrangler, BazQux Reader, FeedHQ and even has a custom endpoint for users who want to do their own thing.

Press for Android supports Feedly, Feed Wrangler, Feedbin and will soon have Fever support.

Nextgen Reader for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 supports Feedly and NewsBlur.

How Are You Coping?

Let us know your strategies for moving on from Google Reader in the comments.

Thumbnail composite via Flickr, Richard Cocks and Google.