The popular RSS reader makes no money (directly, more on that later), has a loyal but relatively small (compared to other Google products) userbase, and at the moment, appeals to a very niche and difficult to monetize (we don’t click ads) audience. All of which leads Steve Rubel to ask, “With Google Killing Products, is Reader Next?”
Now, I think the answer to that question is unequivocally “no,” (and a Google exec has since confirmed as much) as Google has too many smart people that are connected enough to the industry to know that Reader is an essential product for many of the company’s biggest enthusiasts. But, what is the future of a product that doesn’t make any money, at a time when Google appears so focused on consolidating around products that do?
There’s also the possibility that the company will offer an Enterprise version of Google Reader, as NewsGator, who just raised another $10M, does rather successfully (at least, that’s the picture painted in a press release issued earlier this week). That would make a ton of sense as either a standalone product or as part of Google Apps, giving customers insight into their industry, competitors, and what people are reading and sharing about them. Additionally, since Google owns FeedBurner, they could offer Enterprise customers faster delivery of news, a problem that plagues the RSS management tool and in turn Google Reader.
Let’s hope that Google is planning to take Reader in one of these two directions, or, perhaps planning something more creative that we haven’t thought of yet. One option that both users and publishers hope not to see is more ads cluttering the Reader interface, and I think that Google is smart enough and creative enough to come up with something better that keeps everyone happy while addressing the need to monetize.
Additional Resources from Mashable
- HOW TO: Use Google Reader Like A Rockstar