I feel like editors/directors are what got Yahoo into this position in the first place. Rather than focusing on technology, they assumed that the internet woul

I feel like editors/directors are what got Yahoo into this position in the first place. Rather than focusing on technology, they assumed that the internet would be like traditional media - something hard for new players to break into, something where you could tell the viewers what they wanted to see, etc. That hasn't proven to be the case. Yahoo and AOL focused on pushing content they thought was important to users. Yahoo & AOL: Oh, you're logging into webmail, you probably want to hear about Britney Spears' new baby first. Me: No, I really don't. Yahoo & AOL: Well, we'll show you that story because everyone likes gossip in their mail. Me: I don't. Yahoo & AOL: Well, you're wrong. Our research tells us what you want, not you. Google took the opposite approach - give people what they ask for. Don't try to give them something unless they ask for it. Maybe subtly suggest - like the webclips in Gmail - but make it so the user can tell you what to put there and can eliminate it if unwanted. Then, focus on the technology that lets users get what they want rather than hiring "experts" that can tell you what people as a whole "want". In the old world (newspapers, television, radio), it was important to figure out what people as a whole wanted. There was limited capacity and so only a few of the billions of possibilities could reach an individual. The internet is different. For practical purposes, the permutations are infinite. As such, the problem is letting a user find what they want rather than experts selecting what everyone will average to. Yes, it would be nice if Yahoo's services formed a cohesive direction as the article suggests. However, that's not Yahoo's big problem. Yahoo's problem is thinking that no matter where I go, I want to hear about the sexiest celebrities or what Palin is doing or about the hollywood SAG or about the Knicks. . . Let me tell you what I want and then get it for me! Wait, I did tell you what I wanted! I wanted my mail! So, why are you getting me "news" when I asked for mail?!?!