Verizon acquired the core of Yahoo for $4.8 billion today. Maybe that sounds like a lot of money, but there was a time Yahoo was valued at $125 Billion.
In 1998, Yahoo was the ‘Search Engine’. There was nothing like it.
I suppose, hindsight being 20/20 various programs could have been implemented to maintain Yahoo’s priority.
It was a ‘one stop’ site; with mail, news, search, but there was something about it which always forced me to go elsewhere.
Yahoo began in January 1994 by Jerry Yang and David Filo, who were Electrical Engineering grad students. They created a website called “Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web”.
This was a directory of other websites, organized in a hierarchy, as opposed to a searchable index of pages.
In April 1994, Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web was renamed “Yahoo!”.
It grew throughout the nineties and diversified into a web portal, followed by numerous high-profile acquisitions.
Local
When Jamaica officially connected to the Internet in 1995 we used Netscape to connect and of course, Yahoo, to search.
I have an email account on Yahoo but it was never a prime account.
I keep trying to recall why I didn’t like Yahoo. Why I always looked for something else. Considering the failure of Yahoo, how it was so easily bested by Google, and Hotmail, and everything else, I’m sure other people had the same problem with the site.
Something we can’t put our finger on or set in words.
I recall in 2008 Microsoft offered $44.6 billion in stock and cash for Yahoo which was turned down.
Now, it’s lucky to get that $4.8.
It is expected that Verizon will merge Yahoo with AOL, which it bought last year for $4.4bn. AOL was sort of the baby bike to ride onto the highway and was imploding for many years.
I’m sure those who entered the Highway in 2000 might not even have heard of AOL.
I don’t know if I ‘mourn’ Yahoo. It’s a site I rarely visit.
And I think most people say the same.
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I remember Netscape and using the YAHOO search engine. Don't know when I started Googling but I rarely use any other search engine. I also remember AOL. Used to have a couple of eMail accounts. AOL dropped off my map a long time ago!
I try to avoid Google when I can... just on principle. Netscape was such a sweetie...no problems. I never liked Yahoo. Did have an email account there... but didn't use the site very much. I don't know why. I recall dling Chrome I think (or was it Firefox?) which made it a default. I had to Disagree with that instantly.
It is strange how emotional we get reading stuff like this. I have a Yahoo account side by side with Google. In fact Yahoo was there first. I remember their Geocities which were like coming from heaven for beginners like me.
I hope the flavour of Yahoo will continue in this new set up.
It is funny... I never liked it much... I used it sure in ancient days but as soon as there was choice... I was gone.