Yes, the rumors are true. Starting July 1, 2013, Google will shut down its reader service, giving us dedicated users around three months to find an alternative.

Many of you might be saying to yourselves, “But I use Google Reader every day. Why would Google do such a thing?”

According to Google, usage for the application has been declining; therefore, it wants to move forward with its strategy to focus on fewer products that could have more impact. So just a little over eight years since its launch, this Google product will come to an end.

But many dedicated users aren’t letting Reader go without a fight.

One New York lawyer started a campaign on Change.org to save this service. As of yesterday morning, it’s gotten over 100,000 signatures. But it doesn’t seem like Google will budge on its decision to shut down the service.

In a few months, if you haven’t switched your RSS feeds to a different platform, your morning routine (and all your years of creating a robust directory of the best readings on the web) will vanish. (more…)