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

[duskpeterson]

Morgan, in Yahoo Groups's list of "content," there's no mention of messages, and they go on to say, "On October 21st, you will no longer be able to upload any content to the site. To share info with members of your groups, you'll continue to be able to do so via email." It's not clear to me whether they're getting rid of the messages on the site (i.e., the only service they will offer in the future is email) or are getting rid of everything *except* the messages (i.e., the only service they will offer in the future is email and some sort of access to previous emails).

Either way, I'll be downloading the messages of the groups I moderate, so thanks much for the links. But do you have any additional thoughts on their garbled announcement?

[morgandawn]

messages will be able to be sent - no files uploaded. functions will be turned off for the messages - ex: digest, auto subscribe. admin tools will be reduced (they do not spell out what admin tools). they also imply that the archive view will disappear. whether this means the existing messages will also go away I don't know. and if they stay, will search work?

[duskpeterson]

Thanks! But there's a distinction between files and messages in Yahoo Groups, if I recall correctly?

[morgandawn]

Are you downloading? I need someone to test a Google form

[morgandawn]

also, can you look over these instructions
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FC0cKXyKx01VkNYPrNpUwKla0SqaBboULnQJprsuCaE/edit?usp=sharing

[duskpeterson]

I don't have time this weekend to read through the whole thing, but those are very helpful instructions.

[duskpeterson]

Not yet, I'm afraid. Exterminators are due today.

[duskpeterson]

Whoops, sorry, I missed seeing your edited reply. Yes, it's all very confusing. I expect they'll be barraged with "Wha?" questions.

[morgandawn]

Search will not work so accessing old messages will be difficult.

http://personalgroupware.com/smf/index.php?topic=1304.0

[duskpeterson]

Thanks! I just read through your Google doc, which, along with the Open Doors post, makes everything crystal clear.

Thank you for your post to BIC, which I moderate. :) I belong to a bunch of other groups from the early 00s; I'll see whether anyone - such as you! - has posted an announcement; if not, I'll post mine. And I'll try to preserve what groups aren't already being preserved.

It's wonderful having you as a guide to all this.