Google recently rolled out revamped GMail and Google Reader, and plenty of users are less than thrilled about the changes. In fact, some Reader users are migrating to Twitter as an RSS feed reader, instead.
I'll admit the new look is minimalist, white, stark... and a little cold. But overall, my first impression of the new look was "meh." Reader still works for me -- I log in, scan the feeds and move on to my next task. I also use Twitter to keep an eye on news and articles, but I use it in combination with Reader instead of a replacement for it.
The new look doesn't impress or distress me
What's Not to Like?
I went into the new look with an open mind, much like I did with Facebook's most recent changes. With Facebook, however, the changes annoyed me, so I installed a plugin to make my own improvements. So I asked Liz Rea, who tweeted about her feelings for the new Reader, what she didn't like about the changes.
Even though she was prepared to like the Reader changes, Rea misses the"share" feature and "recommended items," and she's not fond of thebright white aesthetics.
Rea thought she'd like the new Reader, but she doesn't
Former Google Reader project manager, Brian Shih, agrees with Rea about the stark new look. In a blog post, Shih writes, "It's so unbelievably stark, it's hard to imagine a more desolate experience." Shih also doesn't like the sharing "improvements" and says that the new sharing flow around the +1 button actually makes it harder to share.
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Twitter as Reader
Can Twitter replace Google Reader as your RSS feed? Ben Guild thinks so, which is why he created and shares his Twitter Migration & Networking Tool (TMNT). To use his tool, log into Twitter and upload your Google Reader OPML File. Ideally, TMNT finds Twitter feeds for each of your RSS feeds.
I still don't plan to dump RSS feeds on Reader for Twitter
In my case, it found some of the Twitter feeds, but not everything. Still, the tool was a handy way for me to increase the feeds I follow on Twitter, even if it's not a replacement for Google Reader.
Will Twitter replace Google Reader for you? Or do you have an even better solution for wrangling your RSS feeds?
