Web Q&A platform Yahoo Answers to shut down on May 4

Yahoo Answers, one of the longest-running question and answer websites is shutting down on May 4, 2021, it has announced.

The platform communicated the message to users.

In a notice (via The Berge) that is now displayed above the website, it said, “Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services or your Yahoo account.”

The platform which has been live since 2005 is part of Yahoo, which is owned by Verizon Media Group since 2017 following its sale for nearly $5 billion, as per The Verge.

In a note sent to members of the Yahoo Answers community, it said, “While Yahoo Answers war 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,” as quoted by the report.

“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,” it added.

After April 20 users will no longer be able to post new Yahoo Answers questions or answer other users’ questions. After that, following its closure on May 4, the website will not be accessible. Users will be redirected to the Yahoo homepage when they try to access Yahoo Answers after May 4.

Users can still download their data but they must send in their content request before June 30, 2021.

The data that they will be able to download will include all user-generated content including their Questions list, Questions, Answers list, Answers, and any images. Users will not be able to download other users’ content, questions, or answers as per an FAQ.