5 ms·

If this isn't the sign of a product with declining use, I don't know what is. Of course it isn't news that few people use Yahoo mail anymore, but the fact that

If this isn't the sign of a product with declining use, I don't know what is. Of course it isn't news that few people use Yahoo mail anymore, but the fact that it's worth it to Yahoo to turn those emails off is interesting.

tagold 13y ago
This is a way worse then just disabling unused old accounts and, say, deleting emails stored there. Yahoo is going to "resell"(1) these accounts. This will create all kind of privacy problems, and potential for abuse: gaining access to other services through resetting passwords there, impersonating users, people receiving private communications not intended for them, etc. And all this for what purpose? Give few lucky ones get a coveted email address like jonny@yahoo.com instead of jonny_m35@yahoo.com? (1) "Resell" is the not quite accurate word here as they are going to give it for free, but I can't come with a better word.
- rgbrenner 13y ago
  reuse
  - tagold 13y ago
    Thought about it, but doesn't sounds quite right too: Yahoo didn't use these identities, it provided them to the users. Anyway I don't want to be pedantic here, just as long as it was clear what I tried to say, and nobody misunderstood that I accuse Yahoo literary selling its user accounts to the third party, I am happy. :)
- anon808 13y ago
  yahoo is trading a sliver of goodwill from people that can now get their name of choice for incredibly pissed off former users that lost emails they relied on. Just because they havn't logged into them, doesn't mean they weren't using them. EX: i use a yahoo email for an ebay account I regularly use, but because of ebay's messaging I never log into yahoo. If i'm not the only person on earth that does this, there will be bad results from this 'house cleaning'. The point is email address arent just for getting emails, they're used as identities online. How horrible and shortsighted. Yahoo is actively inviting ill will and complexity.
- camelite 13y ago
  Reallocate?
camus 13y ago
yahoo mail was my first mail 15 years ago. But the product hasnt evolved much yet. In my opinion , Yahoo lacks of the proper agile culture where products evolve gradually (like google products ). Look at yahoo groups , feels like 1999 ... So they can buy start-up all they want , yahoo has a cultural problem. definetly , at least if they want to look relevant.
- drgath 13y ago
  As a Yahoo, I can say a lot has changed in that regard during the last year.
timmins 13y ago
Maybe. My perspective is that Yahoo! did some research on why people left, stopped using, or never considered Y! as their mail service. I presume one of the responses is that people dislike non-vanity addresses. Instead of tedthomas@yahoo.com, the only variations that remain include thomasted110@ or tedthomasemail@. Ugh. A simple query would show that these vanity addresses are sitting stagnant. A touch of PR and awareness instills or revives interest. I think an optimistic view is that Yahoo! is willing to cut the fat and take chances on reuniting strayed in addition to inviting new users.
- tagold 13y ago
  Even leaving all negative conservatives of this decision aside for now, it hardly does solves anything. If thomasted110 is the best what's available for now at yahoo, there will be, simplifying a bit, 109 another unhappy users (thomasted1..thomasted109) + tedthomas_xx users + other unhappy Ted Thomases settled for different username at yahoo.com. None of them is aware if tedthomas will be available. Most of them will not even know that this grand redistribution will take place. In the end if tedthomas will be "reused" only one of them will be moderately happy, while others are no better of.

tagold 13y ago

This is a way worse then just disabling unused old accounts and, say, deleting emails stored there. Yahoo is going to "resell"(1) these accounts. This will create all kind of privacy problems, and potential for abuse: gaining access to other services through resetting passwords there, impersonating users, people receiving private communications not intended for them, etc. And all this for what purpose? Give few lucky ones get a coveted email address like jonny@yahoo.com instead of jonny_m35@yahoo.com? (1) "Resell" is the not quite accurate word here as they are going to give it for free, but I can't come with a better word.

rgbrenner 13y ago
reuse
- tagold 13y ago
  Thought about it, but doesn't sounds quite right too: Yahoo didn't use these identities, it provided them to the users. Anyway I don't want to be pedantic here, just as long as it was clear what I tried to say, and nobody misunderstood that I accuse Yahoo literary selling its user accounts to the third party, I am happy. :)
anon808 13y ago
yahoo is trading a sliver of goodwill from people that can now get their name of choice for incredibly pissed off former users that lost emails they relied on. Just because they havn't logged into them, doesn't mean they weren't using them. EX: i use a yahoo email for an ebay account I regularly use, but because of ebay's messaging I never log into yahoo. If i'm not the only person on earth that does this, there will be bad results from this 'house cleaning'. The point is email address arent just for getting emails, they're used as identities online. How horrible and shortsighted. Yahoo is actively inviting ill will and complexity.
camelite 13y ago
Reallocate?

camus 13y ago

yahoo mail was my first mail 15 years ago. But the product hasnt evolved much yet. In my opinion , Yahoo lacks of the proper agile culture where products evolve gradually (like google products ). Look at yahoo groups , feels like 1999 ... So they can buy start-up all they want , yahoo has a cultural problem. definetly , at least if they want to look relevant.

drgath 13y ago
As a Yahoo, I can say a lot has changed in that regard during the last year.

timmins 13y ago

Maybe. My perspective is that Yahoo! did some research on why people left, stopped using, or never considered Y! as their mail service. I presume one of the responses is that people dislike non-vanity addresses. Instead of tedthomas@yahoo.com, the only variations that remain include thomasted110@ or tedthomasemail@. Ugh. A simple query would show that these vanity addresses are sitting stagnant. A touch of PR and awareness instills or revives interest. I think an optimistic view is that Yahoo! is willing to cut the fat and take chances on reuniting strayed in addition to inviting new users.

tagold 13y ago
Even leaving all negative conservatives of this decision aside for now, it hardly does solves anything. If thomasted110 is the best what's available for now at yahoo, there will be, simplifying a bit, 109 another unhappy users (thomasted1..thomasted109) + tedthomas_xx users + other unhappy Ted Thomases settled for different username at yahoo.com. None of them is aware if tedthomas will be available. Most of them will not even know that this grand redistribution will take place. In the end if tedthomas will be "reused" only one of them will be moderately happy, while others are no better of.