The first bit of shtick didn’t affect me other than I was annoyed with her hypocrisy of telling Yahoo employees that none of them could work from home while at the same time she had the office next to hers converted to a nursery. “Yahoo!” is the same company that pushed telecom companies to provide broadband service to suburban and rural areas so they could provide their services and tools to people (like me) who work from home. (I wrote about this in an earlier blog post… check it out.) Working from home is great for Yahoo so long as people who work from home are putting money into Yahoo’s accounts, but working from home isn’t good enough for Yahoo’s employees.
Then I received word that one of the apps that I use every day – Astrid - was bought by “Yahoo!” and was shutting down for reasons I neither understand or want to hear because I’ve moved on to another app. Don’t get me wrong, I would have loved to keep using Astrid because I got alerts when other members of my family or team finished a task; but there’s no point in dwelling on the how’s and why’s it’s being discontinued since I have other things to worry about – like my own work.
Then I got word that a browser that I’ve used for years is also going away – “Rockmelt.” This has been a wonderful tool that integrated Facebook and Twitter; while I was working I received alerts about other people’s posts and tweets and I could respond accordingly. Rockmelt has been bought by “Yahoo” and will be going away at the end of this month.
Granted, I couldn’t care less about Yahoo’s spending spree’s until the products they buy are products I once used and can’t any more since they aren’t replacing them right away. As I stated elsewhere, why would I use Astrid again when I’ve been forced to move on to something else like “Any.Do?” Why would I change back again? Why would I use the next version of “Rockmelt” after this one’s vanished for a period of time?
The only reason why I would install Yahoo’s version of Rockmelt is to see how my websites render on that browser. Besides that, why would I go back to using Rockmelt if it ever returns? How do I know it won’t disappear again like other browsers in the past have done; like “Netscape,” “Mosaic” and “Flock.”
Yahoo’s business model is both confounding and aggravating – they are essentially demanding that we try out their competition by shutting down their own products they’ve bought. They’re demanding that we try and eventually liking other companies while getting along without theirs. Why would we go back after they introduce their new and improved products? That’s assuming they ever develop replacements. Yahoo is alienating their potential clients by pissing away the clients their new purchased companies already have…
While this blunder should be annoying to anyone with half a brain I’m reading commentaries about how “bold,” “brave,” “confident” and “courageous” Yahoo’s CEO is and how she’s a “wonderful role model” for other working women. I’m not sure if those commentators are stupid, or if it’s me? Am I the idiot? A lot of these commentators are implying that critics like me should take a wait and see attitude while they’re excited to see what comes of all these acquisitions. What do we do in the meantime without any of these products Yahoo has shuttered?
Who are these people cheerleading for Ms. Mayer? How come these commentators aren’t seeing what we’re seeing? How can they not see that they’re alienating their client base with “Yahoo’s” actions now? Are they paid shills? Do they have stock in this company? Do they have a personal interest in seeing Ms. Mayer succeed?
I have no idea; but I would like to know if her publicist would like to take me on as a client, too!
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