As many of you might have noticed, Google announced that it would be sending its RSS reader gentle into that good night. With the amount of outrage and shock that you most likely saw spread across your favorite blogs and social networks, the shuttering of Google Reader probably seemed like a crazy move from a company that would be losing a popular service with an extremely dedicate following. The thing is, though, it’s not like Google doesn’t have access to Reader’s numbers. So, when Google says Reader’s population wasn’t enough to justify the service’s existence, the amount of outrage you saw on the internet about it is most likely from a very vocal minority. In response, Brian Shih, a former product manager for Google Reader, took to Quora to explain why Google had to shut down the service.
You might have found that most people assume that Reader simply didn’t generate enough revenue to cover operating costs. Shih explains that Reader never directly made money, and recalls that Reader was faced with moving its staff onto other projects more than once, in order to build OpenSocial, Buzz, and Google+. All of those projects were social-based, and Shih believes Google always wanted to use the Reader team on other social projects because the Reader team understood the socialscape. So, it’s not like Google didn’t value the people behind Reader.
reader_android_appGoogle decided to shut down Reader in 2010, and then when Google+ hit the market and the sharing features of Reader were diminished, Shih suspects that is when the Reader population began to plummet. So, with Reader’s sharing features taking a backseat to Google+, and with Google aiming for a more consolidated, focused effort in recent times, the company decided it was time to focus more, and kill off a product that wasn’t being used enough.
The reason why you’re seeing seemingly universal outrage is because you read blogs, and bloggers use Google Reader much more than the more average internet user does.
Shih left Google in 2011, so what he speaks isn’t — as he puts it — gospel. However, he recently held a position that provided him with knowledge of how Google operates, and how the company felt about Reader. So, he’s most likely more informed than your favorite bloggers using all those sad face emoticons filling up your Twitter feed.
You might have found that most people assume that Reader simply didn’t generate enough revenue to cover operating costs. Shih explains that Reader never directly made money, and recalls that Reader was faced with moving its staff onto other projects more than once, in order to build OpenSocial, Buzz, and Google+. All of those projects were social-based, and Shih believes Google always wanted to use the Reader team on other social projects because the Reader team understood the socialscape. So, it’s not like Google didn’t value the people behind Reader.
reader_android_appGoogle decided to shut down Reader in 2010, and then when Google+ hit the market and the sharing features of Reader were diminished, Shih suspects that is when the Reader population began to plummet. So, with Reader’s sharing features taking a backseat to Google+, and with Google aiming for a more consolidated, focused effort in recent times, the company decided it was time to focus more, and kill off a product that wasn’t being used enough.
The reason why you’re seeing seemingly universal outrage is because you read blogs, and bloggers use Google Reader much more than the more average internet user does.
Shih left Google in 2011, so what he speaks isn’t — as he puts it — gospel. However, he recently held a position that provided him with knowledge of how Google operates, and how the company felt about Reader. So, he’s most likely more informed than your favorite bloggers using all those sad face emoticons filling up your Twitter feed.
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