And with the shutdown of Reader went any chance of me investing any of my time in Google+, or Docs, or Hangout, or any service they offer in the future.

Yes, because services that cost money never disappear.

do you also mean Google Search?

If it doesn't cost money, then you're the product

paying money doesn't mean you aren't the product.

For example, newspapers and magazines.

also true

Yes, I also mean Google Search. As a user I don't rely on it, there are alternatives. If they shut it down tomorrow I'd be sad because it's a stellar product but I will survive without it.

As a business owner I pay them through adwords so I don't expect them to shut it down any time soon.

The problem with GReader is that the industry never bothered to produce a quality alternative until now.

Didn't Reader kill off all the pay services…