Hey Yahoo! Mail beta team. Why don't you ever call?

Posted Mar 15th 2006 9:17AM by Joe Beaulaurier

As Chris mentioned a couple posts ago, the Yahoo! Mail Users Group received a message post from a Yahoo! Mail team member. I feel badly that I can't look upon this as something to say, "Thank you" for. It is, after all, the first formal communication since December from the team. Unfortunately this post stays the course of providing no information to the beta users (the only actual mail beta information has come from the personal blog of a user-savvy backend developer, Ryan Kennedy).

Ironically this new communique provides no information and instead asks what topics we'd like to see covered on the Y! Mail Update blog. The post asks if we'd be interested in information about phishing scams or an article about "Faces behind the all-new Yahoo! Mail". Seriously, is this what they think we want? If I want phishing info I can go to Yahoo! Security. If I want to know who's on the Y! Mail team I can search for them on Yahoo! 360.

To answer the question, I would have to say, "Erm, howabout... updates?!!?!" Howabout real Yahoo! Mail beta information about features introduced, changes made, and fixes implemented in the rollouts? There is nowhere that I can go to get that information. Not even on the Yahoo! Mail Updates blog. That would be a great start.

The Yahoo! Mail beta version is a helluva property. There's nothing else like it. Why deliver it on a garbage can lid by disenfranchising those who are happily taking their lumps during the beta process?

And if there is still some confusion as what to do, look and see what's being accomplished by the Y! Music Blog, Y! Search Blog, or more recently the Y! 360 Blog.

Reader Comments

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1. 'Faces behind?' A bit self-promoting. I'd like to actually USE it. That would be nice.

Posted at 10:55AM on Mar 15th 2006 by Brinke Guthrie

2. 'Faces behind?' A bit self-promoting. I'd like to actually USE it. That would be nice.

Posted at 10:56AM on Mar 15th 2006 by Brinke Guthrie

3. "user-savvy backend developer"...you suckups. ;)

Posted at 12:12PM on Mar 15th 2006 by Ryan Kennedy

4. I don't understand why you're writing about this. The yahoo mail beta doesn't exist. Sure, I signed up six months ago, and four months ago I got a teaser email telling me it was coming soon, but one email doesn't make a product. I'm convinced the rumor of a new version of yahoo mail is a cruel joke. I don't understand why you play along. I generally quite enjoy this blog and the information I get from it, but please focus on real products from now on, not imaginary ones.

Posted at 1:31PM on Mar 15th 2006 by Ed

5. Brinke: I keep telling you, get a plain-jane Yahoo! ID (not a Y! partner one) and all your problems are solved. Make it a Plus account if you want.

Ryan: you deserve it all.

Ed: Don't lose the faith. It's not getting any further away from being released. You have that much.

To all: further thought on this reminded me of when my kids do their homework and then botch handing it in. They've made the effort and probably accomplished something but they won't get any credit and actually probably lowered their grade in the class. Same goes when the Y! Mail beta team rolls out features and fixes but doesn't point them out. The team gets no love from the beta testers and the product image suffers in blogs and message boards. It's so sad since, like turning in your homework, it's so easy to get right in the first place.

Posted at 2:07PM on Mar 15th 2006 by Joe Beaulaurier

6. Don't want another acct, want to keep using current established ID.

Another one: I sign into yahoo from work--I see the new Yahoo page, even with an SBC logo.

Sign in from home---I get the old page.

Posted at 4:47PM on Mar 15th 2006 by Brinke Guthrie

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