The news earlier this month that Google will kill its popular (but apparently not popular enough) news aggregator Google Reader on July 1 spread fast, sparked outrage from all corners of the Internet and shocked its loyal users, myself included.
Google Reader wasn't simply something I used to stay on top of my favorite blogs and websites. It was a part of my everyday life and a valuable work tool that I used to compile the list of links that appear on my blog each day.
I say "was" because, like many other Google Reader users, I've moved on.
I've moved on to Feedly.
In short, I love this RSS reader. It took some reorganization of my feeds to make sense of everything but Feedly's gorgeous user interface, one that offers a number of eye-catching layout options, provided a welcome contrast to the stark layout I had grown accustomed to with Google Reader.
But Feedly, unlike sites like Flipboard and Pulse, doesn't compromise the user experience for gorgeous visuals.
The site is a snap to use.
Within moments of logging on, I was quickly and efficiently navigating my feeds and found, despite my initial panic, there just might be life after Google Reader.
The developers at Feedly also have produced a terrific iPad app, one I spent hours playing with and marveling at over a recent weekend.
Yes, the site does rely on data from Google to bring you your content, but developers have sworn that Feedly users will be unaffected when Google pulls the plug on its RSS reader.
They better hope they're right.
According to reports earlier this month, Feedly picked up an estimated 500,000 new users in the days following the announcement that Google Reader would be no more.
I suspect many of those users found out what I did -- it was hard to break up with Google Reader, but Feedly is one heck of a rebound.
Follow reporter Patrick Donohue at twitter.com/IPBG_Patrick .
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