In news that is unlikely to shock anyone, after almost 20 good years Yahoo has decided to end its social platform Yahoo Groups in December.
The platform allowed users to interact in a series of discussion boards. But in recent years it’s become something of relic with many users jumping ship to other online discussion boards like Reddit, Facebook Groups, and Google Groups.
When It Will Close
Yahoo acknowledged that the decision to end the service comes as the company shifts its focus to their many other properties. It will be a two-stage disconnect from users: the site will halt any new groups on October 12, with all past content to be removed on December 14. The site will then finally shut down on December 15.
Once the doors are shut, users won’t be able to access any of its services or any and all forms of email communication. Yahoo is encouraging all remaining members to move onto another message board and keep their online discussions going.
The service lived through a re-branding in 2009, which altered the ability to post new discussions into a mailing list of sorts. However, this wasn’t enough to keep the lights on for the platform with users continuing to drop off.
Created in 2001, Yahoo Groups was one of the first discussion boards that allowed users to connect with each other over their love of pop culture. Users could also create their own digital community, but they’ve since moved on.
Similarly, Yahoo Messenger shut down in 2018.
While it may be the end of an era for Yahoo Groups, Vorizon promises to focus on their more high profile platforms within the Yahoo brand, in order to deliver the best content for their users.