Google Reader shutdown sparks petitions to bring it back

If you happened to be following the internet last night, then you know that Google announced it would be shutting down its Reader RSS platform on July 1. Of course, the entire internet went up in metaphorical flames over the news, and most users aren't too happy that the search giant is axing one of its services that's still used by tons of people.

In typical fashion as with most things on the internet, several petitions have been formed to protest the shutdown of the RSS service, including one at KeepGoogleReader.com, which petitions for Google to make the platform open source in order to keep it alive, and so far, over 21,000 people have signed it.

On Change.org, there are several petitions that rally to keep Google Reader alive. Just doing a search for "Google Reader" led to ten results, all of which are petitions to stop Google from shutting down Reader. However, while the internet is up in arms about the situation, we're not so sure that Google will renege on its plans.

In the announcement, Google said that they knew many users would be sad to see it go, and so would the company, but after noticing declining users year-over-year, and a lack of focus on Google Reader, it seems the company has decided to just shut it down instead of let it sit around. We'll see what happens with the effectiveness of the petition as the weeks wear on.