When we first began bringing you coverage of the proposed merger of Yahoo! Clubs and eGroups, we were sure it was going to be a good thing--bringing us all new features and greater levels of customization. We were going to get the eGroups mail handling features, which would allow founder mail to include attachments such as this newsletter or photos. We were going to get eGroups document file storage capabilities, which would allow us to put FAQs about clubs or clippings from news articles and other information concerning club topics in direct access to members. We were going to get eGroups polls, relief from founder mail bounceback, fewer glitches, better levels of security, the ability to distinguish between founder and co-founder with the ability of the founder to set permissions so that co-founders could not delete the club whether by accident or on purpose. We were also going to get better levels of customization, the ability to use club backgrounds, the ability to use HTML code to tailor founder messages, less restriction on the size of logo art we could put on our front pages. The list of pluses grew. It all sounded too good to be true, and now we suspect that it was.
It appears now that instead of getting new features to our clubs, we are getting groups with new features. Let me qualify that remark. Your club memberships, your club posts, your club photos, links, news, messages ... in short, all data will remain. The look of your club will change. Frames are gone. Statistics are to be moved to a separate page. Most recent five posts will be on a separate page. All other posts will be relegated to a separate archive. Not even the terminology will remain the same. We will no longer be "clubs;" we will be "groups." We will no longer be "founders;" we will be "owners" or "moderators." We will no longer "join;" we will "subscribe." We will no longer be "members;" we will be "subscribers." Our addresses will become http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/groupname although they assure us that our old addresses will continue to work for those who may have bookmarked us.
Did we like the membership by e-mail feature they added last year? Well, now subscribers will have the option of never coming to our clubsite (groupsite) again, that is: the option to participate entirely by e-mail both from and to the message board. A portion of our founder's messages will become the listing blurb--the one line description is gone. Our title frame is shrunk and shown below the welcome/log-in which is in turn below banner ads for Yahoo! and other commercial entities.
If I sound very negative about all of this, please know that my sense of betrayl for myself and for you could not be more complete barring the loss of all data. I was prepared for the notion that we would have to give up something. I was not prepared for how much, neither do I expect that you will be. However, I freely admit that at this writing, I am not yet over the shock of what is being laid before us. It will take a good deal of review and comparison before I chill.
To help you with this process, I have prepared a series of exhibits comparing the current forms now in use and with graphical respresentations now being previewed in eGroups and Beta Tested by the eGroup users (Yahoo! users were not invited to the Beta Tests). Please note these are screen shots or graphical representations only. Unless as otherwise state, all views of Y! Groups were created by the eGroup Merger team. They will show slightly differently as real functional elements on your user settings, more in proportion..
There is certainly room for two schools of thought in the review of these exhibits. One will note that the differences in some of the exhibits are only superficial, while others represent a complete altering of the existing forms. If you find the changes suggested here to be acceptable, then you need not worry. If, however, you feel a sense of outrage in this matter, I suggest you join http://www.egroups.com/group/yahooclubs and express yourself.
We are presently reviewing all the other changes and will bring you more information as it becomes available.
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