Yahoo! Messenger was one of the first text messaging apps on the Internet. He made a real revolution in communication, offering users a convenient alternative to telephone conversations and email correspondence. Let's talk, how it appeared and why it could not compete with more modern services.
Yahoo Creators! Messenger
Yahoo Corporation! founded by two Stanford graduate students, Jerry Yang and David Filo. In January 1994 year they decided to create a database of sites, which will simplify the search for information on the Internet. This is how Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web was born.. In April 1994 it was renamed Yahoo!». According to one version, this name comes from the slang word “Yahoo” - this nickname was given to David Philo’s rude and uncouth countrymen.
The audience of the service grew rapidly, and soon it turned into a popular web portal. According to PC Meter research, V 1997 Yahoo! took first place among Internet search engines. And in 2000, the American media company Nielsen/NetRatings recognized it as the main web property of the world. At this point, the number of service users exceeded 62 million
IN 1997 Yahoo was launched! Chat, allowing Yahoo users! exchange text messages. A year later it became part of the more functional Yahoo! Pager. With its help it was possible not only to communicate in general chats, but also create dialogues, post advertisements, use emoticons to express your emotions. And in 1999, the service was renamed Yahoo! Messenger.
Platform Features
First versions of Yahoo! Messenger supported on Windows platforms, Mac and Linux (Unix), later ones were also adapted to Android and iOS. The same Yahoo ID was used to access them, as for other services of the corporation, For example, Yahoo! Posts. The messenger had a whole range of functions, innovative for its time:
- Instant text messaging. Users now have the opportunity to conduct a dialogue, even being on different continents;
- Group chats. Simplified event planning, chatting with a group of friends, relatives or colleagues;
- File sharing. Became an alternative to file sharing services, as well as sending documents, photos and videos by email. Maximum file size, which could be sent - 2 GB;
- Games and applications. An additional way to have fun while texting;
- Offline communication. It was possible to send a message to the user, without waiting, when will it be online;
- Voice and video calls. Latest versions of Yahoo! Messenger allowed you to see your interlocutor and even hear his voice, which made communication more interactive.
The platform interface was intuitive even for those, who just started getting acquainted with the digital world. Besides, the messenger attracted users with the opportunity to express their individuality, by setting a photo or picture as an avatar, by writing the original status and using emoticons. All this contributed to the rapid growth of his popularity, but there was also that, What disrupted the idyll was fierce competition.
Rivalry with AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) - instant messaging service, created by specialists from the American Internet giant America Online (AOL). Initially Yahoo users! could communicate with contacts, registered in it, but then this feature was disabled - the company considered it commercially impractical. Competition between platforms has intensified, at the same time, AOL was a worthy rival - a popular Internet provider, owner of the social network Bebo, which means, which had a fairly wide audience.
Yahoo! Messenger and AIM regularly released updates to their instant messengers, trying to attract new users and retain old ones. This rivalry fueled the development of both platforms, but none of them managed to stay in the rapidly transforming sphere of communications. AIM support has ended 15 December 2017 year, A 17 July 2018 was closed and Yahoo! Messenger.
Reasons for Yahoo's fall! Messenger
By announcing the closure of your messenger, Yahoo! Inc. thanked all its users and promised to concentrate efforts on creating new services for communication. Besides, the company offered to download chat history as an archived file for six months after closure.
Counts, that one of the main factors in the decline of Yahoo! Messenger has become the launch of more modern mobile communication applications, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat etc. They attracted users with wider functionality and privacy protection.
Yahoo!, in turn, failed to ensure the security of the data entrusted to her. IN 2013 year, information about three million of its users was publicly available. This incident repeated in 2014, this time the data leak affected 500 million accounts. Names leaked online, dates of birth, email addresses, phone numbers, security questions and answers. All this undermined trust in the platform, many users switched to Yahoo competitors! Besides, the company had to pay a fine of $35 million. More $117,5 million was spent on settling class action lawsuits.
Final push
Yahoo! Inc. tried to correct mistakes and catch up with competitors. IN 2016 year it released an improved version of the messenger with new features: offline mode, possibility to mark “Like”, cancel sending message, use GIF animation. But it didn't help: mobile services continued to develop rapidly, leaving no chance for the platform to exist.
Besides this, V 2018 Yahoo! tried to launch a new messenger - Yahoo Together, designed specifically for group chats. It was possible to create groups in it, For example, Friends, Colleagues, family and correspond with their members. One of the innovative functions of the messenger was setting reminders, calling for the start of a planned discussion of current issues. Yahoo! counted, that the new service will allow you to forget about the chaos of general chats, but users did not appreciate this idea and 2019 the company also stopped supporting the service.
Yahoo! Messenger paved the way for modern communication platforms and has gone down in history as a pioneer in instant messaging.. During its heyday, it gave people from different parts of the world the opportunity to communicate freely, exchange thoughts and impressions, find new friends. Besides, the platform facilitated teamwork and allowed companies to increase productivity through instant transfer of information. And her mistakes reminded developers of new applications about the importance of continuous development and protection of personal data.