Great news for Delicious users: the service has been acquired from Yahoo! by none other than the founders of YouTube. Announced today via email and on their blog.As you may recall, in December I reported that Yahoo! was sunsetting Delicious, the social bookmarking service, surprising many people and leaving them in a tenuous position. Many jumped ship, proclaiming Delicious dead and looking at alternative services like EverNote, Diigo and Pinboard, but others (like me) held fast, waiting for what would come next. That patience paid off with today's announcement that AVOS will take charge and will focus on being "the best information discovery service." Sounds like they'll be mining the tons of great information that Delicious users have been sharing.
For a little more behind the deal and situation that led to it, Mashable and Read Write Web have some good coverage that you may want to check out.
What's next for users?
There's an FAQ on Delicious that answers questions about the transition. I've reproduced some of it here for your convenience.
Why has Yahoo! chosen to transition Delicious to AVOS?
While we love Delicious (and our users love Delicious), we wanted to find a home for the product where it can receive more love and attention. We think AVOS is that place.
When will AVOS officially start running Delicious?
We anticipate Delicious in its current form will be available until approximately July 2011. By agreeing to AVOS's terms of service upfront, you will allow us to move your data when the time comes to transfer control to AVOS.
What does AVOS plan to do with Delicious?
AVOS plans to continue the service that users have come to know and love and by working with the community, make the site even easier and more fun to save, share and discover the web's "tastiest" content.
Will AVOS maintain the Delicious service with all of its functionality?
Yes, that's the plan. There may be a time of adjustment as AVOS re-launches Delicious, but the company's intention is to add new features and grow the service overall.
How do I transfer my bookmarks?
To transfer your bookmarks, you need to "opt-in" to allow your account and all associated data to be moved. You can do this from the opt-in page.
What will happen to my public and private bookmarks?
By agreeing to the AVOS terms of service, you will allow us to send your account information, bookmarks, and all the data associated with your Delicious account to AVOS when they re-launch Delicious. Your public and private bookmarks will be maintained as they are today. The information transferred would include:
- Delicious username
- Delicious password
- Email address
- First Name
- Last Name
- Bookmarks, Tags and Notes
- Inbox items
- Tag Bundles
- Tag Descriptions
- Network Members
- Subscriptions
- Blogpost jobs
- Twitter Auth credentials (if supplied)
What if I don't opt-in to migrate my bookmarks to AVOS?
You will no longer be able to use Delicious or access your bookmarks after the transition is complete.
Can I export my data from Delicious?
Yes. Please use our export tool.
What are your thoughts on this transition? If you're a user, will you continue with AVOS? And if you left, would you consider coming back? Why?
Image credit: Pink Sherbet Photography (Flickr)