On the 9^th, true to their word, Yahoo in the person of Matt Warburton) gave us an update.

First off, it took four tries to even read the blog – the database on the 360 servers hasn’t been reindexed in so long (most of you have noticed that when you try to find a post, you’re usually taken to one which predates the one you’ve selected, or get the ‘Cannot Find Server’ message) – this is quite apparently the case with the Yahoo Product Blog itself.

Matt did come out and give us one definitive. “…Here’s the latest news on the transition from your 360 page to your new profile on Yahoo!: It will be taking place sometime in the second half of 2008. We don’t have specifics on the date to share just yet, but you’ll be among the first to know. For now just keep this in mind: 2nd half ’08….” Any idea you might have had that Yahoo was going to stick even remotely to its original date of Q1 ’08 have been thoroughly disabused by that statement.

They’ve got ambitious plans for the new profile – and if you’re not aware of the concepts of Web 2.0, go here and learn - - this article will give you some concepts and theories by which you can frame future discussions.

Yahoo is planning to make some sweeping changes to its profile, which will act as a gateway/portal to all of Yahoo’s services. “…For example, your Profile will be integrated into the new Yahoo! Mail welcome page which will surface messages from the people who matter to you most. Additionally, you will see Updates from your important connections helping you to discover new content and activities in real-time….”

There’s a problem with this, however.

Yahoo ‘overhauled’ their mail service some time ago, and it doesn’t even load half the time when you click on your mail-tool; in fact, the service is now so poor that they actually have a secondary link, which says, “Yahoo Mail seems to be taking some time to load. Click here for Yahoo Mail ‘Classic’.”

Either they know something we don’t, or they’re planning some additional changes to the new Yahoo Mail which will clean up the mess. Otherwise, the overall effect will be like taking a pellet-gun to your light-fixture, then working the switch for half-an-hour, all the while asking yourself “Why doesn’t the light come on?”

While skirting the obvious question (“What happened to your original schedule?”), Matt also went on to offer some quasi-comforting news: “Finally, let’s get down to the nuts and bolts of what this means to you and your 360 account. We’ll migrate your profile photo, your nickname, your friends lists, blog posts and blog comments….”

Well, that’s something.

References:

Web 2.0 (Wikipedia)

Update on Transition and Timing (360 Product Blog; 5/9/08)

Yahoo Rewiring Itself from the Inside Out (CNet News; April; 2008)

Yahoo Open Strategy (Yodel Anecdotal; April, 2008)

(…or, ‘Why The Future Starts in Vietnam’….)

Vietnam?

That’s right.

Turns out that Yahoo has released a product called “360 Plus” in Vietnam – it’s modular, and proves out to be a LOT easier to use (if the initial information is correct - you can read the 'blast' link above, as well as the links below, in yellow).

If you go here and read the Q&A, it appears that the product was launched only recently, but is very well received, giving a boost to Yahoo’s presence in that growing country.

The sample page (yes, it’s in Vietnamese) is here.

While it looks pretty basic (no ‘blast’; no ‘quick comments’; no friends-sidebar or other 360-like attributes), it’s also modular – which leads me to believe that additional modules are available.

My hope?

That they’ll introduce something like this worldwide – something which, in the end, will correct the many bugs in 360 and finally give us a useable product that’s out of beta.

Whither the UPS….