Google Reader Dies and the Little Fishes Cry

I know I am late to the party on the one. I am not the most faithful blogger these days as three kids and a more than full-time job mean i just can't take the time I used to to follow and write blogs. But that is OK because Google Reader reads all the blogs for me So imagine my surprise when for the first time in ages i log into reader only to find out it is being taken away from me. Now it is hardly the end of the world, there are other blog reading sites and life will go on, but it is a shock and as I do a quick trawl to see what other people are saying about it two things stick out

1. I use a lot of google stuff, but if they can retire something anytime they want whether or not I am still using it, do I still want to. Google drive, mail and blogger are all an essential part of my internet life but can I rely on them to not get unplugged sometime regardless of the convenience to myself. After all, I do not pay for these things, Google provides all the coding and storage space for free. We get so used to this state of affairs that I recently met someone who genuinely thought things could be stored in an internet cloud - i.e. had no physical place where they were stored and so no-one actually had to provide a place for them to be stored. Which brings me to the second point. 

2. Most people who now use the internet are computer illiterate, they do not know how they work, they could not code even the most basic of web pages. Back in the day the web was a playground for computer geeks, it was a small pond as only those interested and able could play. Those who had blogs or websites were little fishes in a small ocean and they were very happy. Now social media is easy to use, even if you think the internet just lives in heaven with baby Jesus and the angels, but it is not in heaven it is hosted by some leviathan like google who holds your data and your information and your contacts in the palm of its scaly hands in a shed somewhere in america and it is not benevolent, it is commercial. Which is kind of the same as my first point. WE CANNOT TRUST THEM NOT TO TAKE OUR STUFF!

But I'm lazy so I will probably just be sticking with google stuff till they boot me off, but there is no way I am jumping on board that hopeless turkey google+.

you should read these bloggers take on the subject too if you want.

a-lament-for-google-reader

thoughts on the demis of Google Reader

the-sad-end-of-google-reader-and-what-it-says-about the music industry

has-google-screwed-the-pooch-by-retiring-reader?