Boo Hoo, Google Reader is going away.  Allow me to do something that thousands of other people are doing right now:  look at a bunch of replacements.

What I already like: folder organization, bulk ‘mark read’ for the times when I need to catch up by missing stuff, being able to view one feed at a time instead of having everything in a pot (i like to read feeds in an order that has no bearing outside my head), show only unread or not.

What I went looking for:  web based, because I move around, and not requiring any download because:  hassle.  This had the effect of eliminating a lot of options, so if you like browser add-ons and such I suggest looking at things like Feedly (which is getting a lot of recommendations right now).

What I looked at:

FeedBooster – has an easy import feature and allows you to browse by folder, but amalgamates all posts within a folder to one stream of content.  Bad for me because: webcomics.  NOT FOR ME.

FeedReader – no categorization or organization.  Everything in the pot and no import feature that I could find.  Thus no picture.  NOT FOR ME.

Netvibes – more like a replacement for iGoogle, which has been plastered with messages about future unavailability for ages.  At a cube for each feed it’s not going to suite my needs. But, wait, on second look….there is a reader list style reading pane as well.  Reading something makes it disappear, so there is no going back?  Posts work like an inbox – open to read, check box on the side for actions.  The best part:  dashboard templates for changing themes and organizations.  The worst part is premium accounts for sale.  I always find that, though free versions might give you some thing to play with [the Brain], they always end up being frustrating in some way.  This is the only such reader I really checked out, I passed up all others with the paid accounts schema.  MAYBE FOR ME?  SECOND CHOICE.

The Old Reader – still in beta and a little busy to give me any immediate gratification on trying it out, but I am hopeful.  The tour looks like it has everything I already like, in fact, was made to replace just those things.  Plus there’s hints of social networking with other people using The Old Reader.  I think I am interested in this though I don’t know how I’d use it.  I’m going to say that THIS IS IT.  I only hope they don’t crash because of mass migration.