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Discussion » Questions » Life and Society » Does anyone know why yahoo answers shut down?

Does anyone know why yahoo answers shut down?



      ive wondered about it cause back in nov this policeman called me up and said someone on ya was threatening me, and he wondered if i was okay, so i wondered if others using ya were being threathened by someone too and if thats why they closed it down, anyone know?

Posted - April 24, 2021

Responses


  • I think the closing of Yahoo Answers isn't the most important thing for you to worry about.  If a policeman called you because someone on Yahoo Answers threatened you, it means that you've disclosed enough information on the internet for them to find you.
      April 24, 2021 4:50 PM MDT
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  • 5451
    I agree.  Someone found her because she shared TMI online.

    Pearl, I’ve noticed your profile on another Q&A site.  I don’t remember which one, but I noticed you used your full name as your screen name and you named your city in the location part of your profile.  I think you should at least not use your last name in your screen name and maybe change your location to just “Colorado”.
      April 24, 2021 11:58 PM MDT
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  • 22891
    youre right, maybe i should
      April 25, 2021 7:25 AM MDT
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  • 17619
    How do you know it was a cop who called you?
      April 24, 2021 7:34 PM MDT
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  • 5451
    I was just talking to my husband about this, yes, sometimes Answermug gives me something to talk about with him, and he said “When in the history of the world have the police ever called someone?  If they want to talk, they’ll come to your door.”.  Umm yeah, I didn’t think about that.

    Pearl, government agencies, that includes police, usually don’t call you on the phone.  If someone calls you on the phone claiming to be a police officer, you need to politely tell him that you’re going to call the police department to confirm that it’s legit.  Then you need to end the call.

    You’ll need to call the police department at their known phone number and give them all of the details about that call.  You’ll probably have to make a police report.


    This post was edited by Livvie at April 25, 2021 3:47 PM MDT
      April 24, 2021 10:01 PM MDT
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  • 22891
    he told me, how else would he get my number anyways
      April 25, 2021 7:25 AM MDT
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  • 5451
    Pearl, he went to a data brokerage site.  He entered your first name, your last name and your city.  Your phone number was right there.  That‘s what Martina and I were saying about guarding your personal information online.

    I just went there myself.  I can see your address, where you go to church and your last jobs right there!  All I have to do to see your phone number is sign up for one of those sites for a thirty day free trial, which I’m just not going to do.

    OMG Pearl, you’re giving out way too stuff much about yourself online.  If I were you, I’d spend my entire day deleting as much of that stuff you can, then I would go to joindeleteme.com and sign up there.
      April 25, 2021 10:10 AM MDT
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  • 11170
    I'm glad you are pointing that out to Pearl - you are my cyber security hero of the day. Cheers!
      April 25, 2021 10:17 AM MDT
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  • 17619
    Please, if someone calls saying they are the police, tell him to hangup and you call your local police and find out if he is there.  You were scammed.  You must be smart about giving any information out to a caller.  Just don't answer the phone to a number you don't know.  If it's important, they will leave a voice mail.  If you get a call-back request on voice mail, try to verify it's legit before you call.
      April 25, 2021 12:23 PM MDT
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  • 22891
    he told me
      April 25, 2021 3:41 PM MDT
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  • 5451

    *cringes*

      April 25, 2021 4:44 PM MDT
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  • 17619
    He told you what?
      April 25, 2021 7:35 PM MDT
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  • 53531

     

      A stranger’s disembodied voice on the phone* told her that he was a police officer, therefore it must have been the truth.

      *It escapes her how a police officer would have acquired her phone number.


     

      April 26, 2021 1:22 AM MDT
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  • 19937

    Yahoo Answers Shutting Down May 4, Content Will Not Be Archived ...

    Apr 6, 2021 — The email states: “While Yahoo Answers was once a key part of Yahoo's products and services, it has become less popular over the years as the needs of our members have changed.

    https://www.searchenginejournal.com/yahoo-answers-shutting-down-may-4-content-will-not-be-archived/401553/
      April 24, 2021 9:45 PM MDT
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  • 13277
    That's the what of the matter. The question asks why.
      April 25, 2021 10:11 AM MDT
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  • 19937
    "“While Yahoo Answers was once a key part of Yahoo’s products and services, it has become less popular over the years as the needs of our members have changed. To that end, we have decided to shift our resources away from Yahoo Answers to focus on products that better serve our members and deliver on Yahoo’s promise of providing premium trusted content.”
    Same source.

    I.E., They aren't making enough money for them to continue it.
      April 25, 2021 11:54 AM MDT
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  • 17619
    It's kind of nice the members had warning.  
      April 26, 2021 8:47 PM MDT
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  • 19937
    I don't think they had much time.  Some complained they weren't able to back up their stuff.
      April 26, 2021 9:23 PM MDT
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  • 53531


      Sounds familiar; I remember when AnswerBag pulled the carpet out from under us. 

    ~

      April 26, 2021 9:27 PM MDT
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  • 19937
    SodaHead did the same thing to us and we had absolutely no warning at all.  We went to log in the next day and couldn't only to find that they shut the site - just like that!
      April 26, 2021 9:28 PM MDT
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  • 53531
      April 26, 2021 9:44 PM MDT
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  • 19937
    The part that bothered me the most was that there were a couple of people with whom I would have liked to share emails and kept in touch but didn't get the chance.  
      April 27, 2021 6:40 AM MDT
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  • 44661
    I'm sure lots of people know.
      April 25, 2021 10:38 AM MDT
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  • 551
    My assumptions would be:
    1) It was not bringing in enough advertising revenue to justify the number of person-hours needed to moderate it properly.. Or, put it a different way, the large number of users coupled with a lax moderation policy meant a high incidence of trolling, personal abuse, and s#itposting, as well as, occasionally, more serious legal issues such as the one you highlighted.
    2) imcreased competition from the likes of Reddit and Quora


    Edit  I know there are selling  and puctuatuon errors, please excuse them, I'm normally quite particular about that kind of thing but I had my Covid jab this morning and the shivers kicked in an hour ago, so whatever I change I'll probably make worse mistakes in their place! This post was edited by Reverend Muhammadovsky at April 27, 2021 6:53 AM MDT
      April 25, 2021 10:58 AM MDT
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