The leaked screenshot that spurred debate over whether Yahoo would close several of their web properties this year has suddenly taken a turn. Yahoo has come forward to clarify the purported decision to close social bookmarking site, Delicious.
The media has not taken kindly to Yahoo’s decision to lay off 600 workers and close several key web properties. In fact, users of Delicious found the news quite disturbing and began voicing their opinions online almost immediately. A Twitter campaign to ‘save Delicious’ quickly followed and judging by Yahoo’s official response, it may have worked.
Originally Yahoo claimed that, “we continuously evaluate and prioritize our portfolio of products and services, and do plan to shut down some products in the coming months….We will communicate specific plans when appropriate”. The tides have turned, as you can see by visiting the official Delicious blog. The company is now reassuring users that the site is being shopped around and that no account information data will be lost in the acquisition process.
Despite the support from fans, not everyone is optimistic about the future of the social bookmarking site. TechCrunch blogger Jon Orlin, a Yahoo employee for five years, claims he isn’t suprised by Yahoo’s inability to develop Delicious. He went on record to say “…when you have ‘the biggest collection of bookmarks in the universe’ in a potentially very social product and you can’t figure out how to run it in a lean, innovative and profitable way, it’s a real sign you are in trouble.”
The future for Delicious remains very much in question, but one thing is for certain — Yahoo is giving the site one last hoorah in hopes of finding a new owner. If acquired, the new owner will have a daunting task if it hopes to bring the service back to the forefront of social bookmarking, but it’s clear there are plenty of users who will continue to support the service.
What do you think of the news on Delicious? Has Yahoo made the right move to sell the company and are you worried about the possible data that could be compromised in the acquisition of the site? Let us know what you are thinking.
Via DigitalTrends
