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

[morgandawn]

wacky idea: pull the emails with a data scraper,fire off a generic email to all list owners.

[duskpeterson]

You're wicked. :) But it might be justified in an emergency like this. I certainly didn't worry about spamming the lists when I sent out my warning notices.

[duskpeterson]

Though one thing to consider is that Yahoo Groups probably has measures to prevent mass mailings like that. I know that, back in the day, there was a limit to how many lists you could cc. So, for example, if you wanted to send a fic to eight lists, you had to do it in two emails, or you'd trigger the anti-spam catcher at Yahoo Groups.

[morgandawn]

where is the best place to look for the most complete list? I went to

SORTED BY LIST SERVICE
(sorted by fandom within each service)
Yahoogroups


A B C D E F G H I J K L M N

O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0-9

[duskpeterson]

That's the category I was looking at too, but it appears (at a quick glance) to have left out the multifandom lists at Yahoo Groups. The multifandom lists at all services are listed toward the top of the page. So together, those two categories should theoretically cover all the Yahoo Groups.

[morgandawn]

I agree - and it left off the RPS groups as well.

[duskpeterson]

Ah - thanks for catching that.