

Yahoo Publisher Network To Be Axed, Customers Referred To Chitika Instead - whyleym
http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/31/yahoo-publisher-network-to-be-axed-customers-referred-to-chitika-instead/

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jacquesm
Yahoo is shrinking further and further, it's like watching a very slow
collapse of an old building.

From the #1 website in the world in 2008, now dropped to #3 or #4 depending on
who you ask. Still gigantic but if they don't find a new direction I don't
think they'll be able to continue to operate independently.

The current management seems to have only one solution to their problems,
which is to chop off divisions and to shut them down. If they would at least
sell them they'd make some money, but they followed the exact same pattern
with Geocities (for which there would have been plenty of takers).

------
raganwald

      Dear Publisher,
    

_Despite having vast datacenters full of machines that combine and recombine
data in wondrous ways, we can't be bothered to send you an email with your
actual name on it._

    
    
      Yahoo! continuously evaluates and prioritizes our products and
      services, in alignment with business goals and our continued
      commitment to deliver the best consumer and advertiser experiences.
    

_This email was too short, so we spun the buzzword roulette wheel and out
popped this sentence. It says nothing, every business "evaluates" and
"prioritizes" stuff, it's called management._

    
    
      After conducting an extensive review of the Yahoo! Publisher Network
      beta program, we have decided to close the program effective April 30,
      2010.
    

_We had to tell you about the extensive review, we don't want you thinking
that we're shutting down a business unit as a knee-jerk reaction to some
unpleasant business numbers and pressure from the board to do something,
anything rather than sit around with our thumbs up our asses._

 _We forgot to consider the possibility that if we really had done an
extensive review, we'd have found someone to buy the business outright.
Shutting it down without a buyer might make you think that we're losing so
much money nobody will touch it, which reflects rather poorly on our
"Continuous evaluation and prioritization of our products and services," but
hopefully you're too damn stupid to figure that out for yourself. After all,
if our board isn't smart enough to know we've reached rock bottom and begun to
dig, why would you figure it out?_

    
    
      We expect to deliver final publisher payments for the month ending
      April 30, 2010 to publishers no later than May 31, 2010. All
      publishers eligible for 1099s for the 2010 tax year will have those
      mailed by January 31, 2011.
      
      Because our content will no longer be delivered to your ad unit
      spaces after April 30, 2010, we recommend removing all YPN ad code
      from your pages by that date.
    

_Or else you're going to look pretty silly when your pages break!_

    
    
      For the opportunity to continue earning revenue, we suggest using
      Chitika, a leading advertising network that syndicates Yahoo! Content
      Match and Sponsored Search ads. Chitika has set up a special process
      for YPNO beta publishers to participate in its platform. Click here
      for more information.
    

_We are, of course, getting kickbacks. But we won't mention that, we'll make
it sound like we're giving you friendly advice. Which you will take from a
management team that can't keep their own ship afloat, much less figure out
who else has a decent product._

    
    
      We thank you for your participation in the Yahoo! Publisher Network
      beta. If you have any questions regarding this announcement, please
      contact our Support Team at (866) 785-2636, Monday through Friday from
      7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PDT.
    

_Don't call, ever. Or we'll be forced to put you through voice mail hell
before connecting you to a call centre in Laos._

(Apologies to Job Gruber)

