Yahoo Groups Shutting Down - Dec 14, 2019 (UPDATED)

[morgandawn]

(Updated Oct 25, 2019)

Starting Oct 28, 2019 no new files (photos, documents, etc) will be allowed to be uploaded. Starting Dec 14, 2019, Yahoo Groups will be limited to emails only - functions like digest will be eliminated and all files and photos will be deleted. Admins will have limited tools and all groups will be invite only. And archives of existing messages will not longer be accessible.

What To Do?

I have a step by step guide here. The short version

1. Admins - back up your Groups and decide whether and where to move
2. Members - back up your Groups - don't leave this to the admins.
3. Everyone - consider documenting Yahoo Groups on Fanlore, help spread the word

The OTW has made an announcement. Their Open Doors preservation program is open to  providing storage of Yahoo Groups backups that are assembled by moderators and non-moderators alike. Details here.

Fans are gathering on a Discord Channel to chat and ask for and give help:  https://discord.gg/ek2xFyJ (updated invite)

Please follow the Yahoo Group Rescue Tumblr for updates

 

Comments

[doranwen]

Awesome. :) I claimed one on the sheet that listed Pern (a book series I enjoy, if not as fanatically as some fandoms) as the fandom (though it appears less Pern than a mix of fandoms, and mostly ships I'm very much not into, but hey, it's backed up now).

I'm slowly poking through the lists of groups under All / Entertainment & Arts / Humanities / Books and Writing / Fan Fiction - found one or two potentials so far.

[morgandawn]

Here is one on our spreadsheet no one has claimed: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/MSRfanfic-only/info

[doranwen]

X-Files is one of those fandoms I'm definitely not into and never will be. (The only alien I like is Clark Kent, pretty much, and the little bit I saw of X-Files once creeped me out.) If it's still lingering when I've completely run out of fandoms, maybe I'll claim it so it's not lost entirely, but I'd hope someone else would get it that would actually be interested in the content in addition to preserving it for preservation's sake.

Anyway, earlier I stumbled across a fanfic resource group for medical details and decided I'd hop on and snag all of that (useful stuff), and there was a LOT (they were smart enough to require approval of messages from new members, so no spam to worry about); it's still plowing through that one and will probably do so for another few hours, by which time I'll be asleep.