Digg Reveals Google Reader Replacement Details

Social news site Digg has revealed some details of the upcoming RSS feed reader that it announced in the aftermath of Google’s decision to close Google Reader on 1 July.

Digg, which fell from grace and was sold for a pittance last year, already had plans for an RSS reader before it learnt of Google Reader’s death sentence, but says it has accelerated the development process and will is aiming to release the reader in the second half of 2013.

“Like many of you, we were dismayed to learn that Google will be shutting down its much-loved, if under-appreciated, Google Reader on July 1,” it said. “Through its many incarnations, Google Reader has remained a solid and reliable tool for those who want to ensure they are getting the best from their favourite sections of the Internet. And though they were not wholly appreciated at the time, Reader’s early social features were forward-thinking and hugely useful.”

Digg reader coming

Development is already underway, but Digg has called for users to share their ideas and influence the process. It said that it aimed to capture everything that was great about Google Reader, while acknowledging that there was room for improvement. It promised that the new reader will be fast and simple to use, will synchronise across various devices and can import feeds from existing Google Reader accounts easily.

“In order to pull this off in such a small window, we’re going to need your help,” said Digg, who noted that its first blog attracted in excess of 800 comments, more than when it announced that it was going to rebuild Digg itself. However it stressed that the new reader would not replace its existing project to rebuild Digg.

Digg was founded in 2004 as a social news site, where people could post links to stories, and their prominence would be determined by votes from other users. It attracted investment to the tune of $45 million, but has struggled since 2010 as rival social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have become more popular. Even competing service Reddit has surpassed it in popularity.

It was sold to Betaworks last year for a reported $500,000 (£324,000), a tiny fraction of the $160 million (£104m) it was once valued at.

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