On October 12, Yahoo banned any new group creation. The decision will come in a full circle on December 15, and the website will no longer be available.
Although they re-branded in 2009 with several new features, it wasn't enough to keep the users loyal.
The giant tech company admitted that the decreasing number of users had impacted the decision. Instead, they are planning to switch their focus on other areas of the business.
"Yahoo Groups has seen a steady decline in usage over the last several years. Over that same period, we've witnessed unprecedented levels of engagement across our properties as customers seek out premium, trustworthy content," said Yahoo in a statement.
What Will Happen When Yahoo Groups Is Closed?
Thankfully, Yahoo Mail will still run normally. The only thing affected will be Yahoo Groups (groups.yahoo.com) and emails sent from Yahoo Groups.
Any email sent or received after December 15 will not be delivered or stored. A failure notification will automatically pop up in your inbox.
To keep the online conversation going with your groups, Yahoo recommends several websites and platforms to consider on their official statement.
- "Nextdoor - Use any email account to sign up
- Facebook Groups - Requires a Facebook account.
- Google Groups - The admin of the group must have a Gmail account
- Groups.io - The paid version allows for importing members from Yahoo Groups."
To keep connected with your groups, you can export members' data from the platform. To do so, access the group's page, head over 'Management | Manage Members', click the 'Actions' menu, and then 'Export.'
"Send any comments or feedback you have regarding this decision to YahooGroupsEscalations@verizonmedia.com. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us," the statement ends.
Not the First Time
This closure is not the first time Yahoo shut their popular service for good. In 2018, Yahoo Messenger bit the dust on July 17 because its user has looked elsewhere for a more secure online experience.
Gizmodo reported that in the same year, Yahoo faced a $46 million penalty from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its failure to disclose hacks. That said, it's easy to see why many opted to switch to another platform.
Yahoo Messenger played a massive part in the early days of the internet. Back in the days, 94 million users have at least registered to the service since 1999. Flickr and Map support helped propel Yahoo Messenger into where it was.
Could this be the downfall of Yahoo? Who knows. Verizon promised not to end the franchise any time soon and vow to expand to more high profile platforms within the brand.
Read Yahoo's full statement here.
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