A week from now, Google Reader will be seeing its final day.  There are already some news readers that have gained plenty of attention ever since the news of Google Reader’s demise surfaced, which means there are several news readers to choose from and more are coming.  It’s no surprise then, to learn that some of Google’s larger rivals may be looking to fill the void left by Google Reader, most recently Facebook and AOL.

AOL Reader

AOL, regarded as one of the things that shaped the Internet to what it is today, released the AOL Reader this week – a web based content reader that has a simple interface but has interface that would suits mobile devices.

You can log in using your AOL account, if that still exists, or via Facebook, Twitter or Google+.  But right now, only those with an AOL email account can request for access to its beta.

There’s nothing jaw-dropping about AOL Reader.  As I said earlier, it’s quite simple.

There are two views to choose from, one that features that list of articles while the other features images.  You can share content you read with your friends by tagging or sharing on your wall and AOL was kind enough to have the Reader’s API available to developers so they can create apps on top of the service.

You can visit reader.aol.com to be one of the first to try out AOL Reader.

Facebook Reader

People were expecting the social giant to unveil its news reader alongside the announcement of hashtags last week, but only the Facebook hashtags was announced.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the social giant has been working on a content reader, dubbed Reader (how original!) and it aims to be the newspaper of mobile devices.  The service will allegedly feature content from publishers, as well as content from Facebook users.  Basically, it will be a Facebook NewsFeed + real news app, much like Flipboard, and sources have stated that it looks like Flipboard as well.

Flipboard is already a top choice as a Google Reader alternative, especially if you enjoy consuming news and social media updates all on your iOS or Android device.  It recently got an update that lets users create and share their very own magazines.

3 Ways Facebook Reader can beat Flipboard

• large user base

For one thing, the support of over a billion Facebook users.  Facebook could launch its reader as a stand alone app or a web-based app, or as an update to its NewsFeed and people would still use it.

• mobile ad network

This is also an opportunity for Facebook to push its mobile ads efforts, as a stand alone app could entice brands to advertise on the platform.  Facebook has yet to completely penetrate the mobile platform as its previous efforts were a bust and mobile advertising, though it increased, is not that impressive.  Investors aren’t happy that Facebook is trading well below its IPO price, and a news app could drastically change the social giant’s influence on the mobile platform.

• time-wasting users

User retention is another thing.  More people are now spending less time on Facebook as they tire of reading about just what other people are doing with their lives.  People are now growing more concerned with what’s actually happening in the real world.  A news reader could encourage people spend more time on Facebook to consume news rather than looking for other places to get the latest buzz.  This retention could also help boost advertising on the platform, whether its on mobile or on the web.

photo credit: Alex E. Proimos via photopin cc