Yahoo Answers to shut down after almost 16 years of service

A billboard for the technology company Yahoo is seen Aug. 5, 2015, in Washington, DC. AFP/Karen Bleier

Yahoo Answers, one of the internet’s longest-running Q&A forums, will finally be shutting down after almost 16 years of service to curious internet dwellers.

The said platform, which went online in 2005, is scheduled to close down on May 4, but will not affect Yahoo users’ accounts and services, as per Yahoo’s recent announcement.

Yahoo users from all over the world can still pose questions and give answers as of today, April 8. Starting April 20, however, Yahoo Answers will only be a read-only site until its shutdown on May 4.

Those who would like to download Yahoo Answers content have until June 30 to file a request to Yahoo. It will then take up to 30 days for Yahoo to process the request and make it available for download to the user.

As Yahoo has yet to announce a specific reason why it is shutting down the said forum, many of the most recent questions posted on Yahoo Answers focus on the same thing: Why is it closing and who is to blame?

Questions posed on Yahoo Answers, around a month before its shutdown. Image: screengrab from Yahoo Answers

Since 2005, Yahoo Answers has been serving as a free Q&A service for netizens who either want to gain or share opinions and knowledge with others. Users can ask anything they want ranging from a number of categories including arts and humanities, environment, entertainment and music, and news and events, among many others.

On the other hand, Yahoo Answers has also seen many controversial questions and answers over the years, which are sometimes hilarious and even meme-worthy, due to their being nonsensical or just plainly wrong, or both.

While several other websites offer similar services, Yahoo Answers has undoubtedly made its mark in the history of the internet, and many users are sure to miss the platform as evident on its most recent top questions.

Prior to Yahoo Answers, Yahoo Groups – which was launched in 2001 – was also shut down just last December.

Those who would like to inquire or just share their opinion on the said decision can contact Yahoo at email [email protected].  /ra

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