Yahoo Gets Rid of 75,000 Associated Content Articles, Launches Yahoo Voices

Yahoo has now decided to follow Demand Media’s lead by deleting 75,000 articles from Associated Content, and is even going so far as to change Associated Content new a new network called Yahoo Voices.

In a post on Yahoo’s Yodel Anecdotal blog, the company says “We have retired more than 75,000 pieces of inactive and outdated content from Associated Content. None of this content will appear on Yahoo! Voices, and only content that meets our revised Submission Guidelines will be accepted moving forward. Older content that does not meet these standards will be gradually retired or returned to the original author for editing.”

This is obviously a reaction (albeit a very late reaction) to Google’s Panda update, which itself has been updated various times throughout the year, and will likely continue to be tweaked. I’m sure you know the story if you’re reading this. If not, you can find our past coverage here.

Demand Media ended up deleting around 300,000 articles from eHow, and seems to have been doing ok since (though they did implement a broader quality clean-up initiative and put a greater emphasis on social).

Here’s an email that Yahoo has sent out to writers:

We’re writing to notify you about some important changes to Yahoo! Contributor Network and our digital library of content.

First, allow us to introduce Yahoo! Voices: a new online home for millions of pieces of content created by our community of experts and enthusiasts.

Yahoo! Voices (http://voices.yahoo.com) replaces Associated Content as the official digital library of Yahoo! Contributor Network. Most content formerly published on Associated Content will now be found on the new site, andassociatedcontent.com URLs will automatically redirect to the corresponding pieces on voices.yahoo.com. You’ll now see Yahoo! Voices in place of Associated Content on your profile page, Account page, and Content menu as well.

We’re also pleased to announce these important changes in connection with the launch of Yahoo! Voices:

New Submission Guidelines: Today we are releasing revised Submission Guidelines, which better clarify what we’re seeking: unique content containing authentic perspectives from experts, enthusiasts, and citizen journalists, to complement Yahoo!’s broader editorial offerings. Read the new guidelines here.

Editing and retiring content: The above guidelines apply to new and existing content. Any published content that does not meet these standards may be returned for editing or retired. We ask that you review your own library to identify content that doesn’t meet our new guidelines, is outdated, or simply isn’t something you’re proud to call your best work. We’ve added two new options to our content flag tool. “Flagging my own content for retirement” will, pending editors’ review, remove that content from the site (without affecting your accumulated page views, pending Performance Bonus, or Clout score). “Flagging my own content for edits” will prompt us to return the content to you so that you can update and resubmit it.

“Yahoo! Style Guide” giveaway: The “Yahoo! Style Guide” is the ultimate guide to best practices in online content creation, and it has already become invaluable to many contributors. We’ve sent style guides to hundreds of contributors so far, and to celebrate the launch of Yahoo! Voices, we’re spreading the knowledge further. If you haven’t received a style guide from us already and you live in the US, those of you with more than 10 published articles who also publish a new article before the end of the year will receive an invitation to claim a free copy. Don’t miss your chance to get this amazing resource for free!

Additional information:

On the blog: Associated Content founder and Yahoo! VP Luke Beatty discusses the launch of Yahoo! Voices, and how we got here.

Yahoo! Voices FAQ: Learn more about how this launch may affect you.

If you notice any technical issues in connection with this launch, please contact us.

Thank you for helping us reach this milestone! We’re excited to provide an even better place to showcase your unique voice on Yahoo!. Check out Yahoo! Voices now.

Sincerely,

Yahoo! Contributor Network

Some writers were wondering why they hadn’t been getting assignments from Yahoo lately. That would explain it.

There are 9 Comments. Add Yours.

Del Williams (@delwilliams)
December 2, 2011 at 9:23 am

75,000 out of millions of pieces is not bad at all. At least they didn’t fire or layoff writers like Demand Studios. Yahoo prepared us ahead of the move and it is good to be under the Yahoo banner.
Nick Stamoulis
December 2, 2011 at 10:15 am

Associated Content has been a go-to for online content marketers for years. This is obviously in response to Google changes, but as you mentioned is coming a little late. The primary goal of content should always be to focus on quality rather than quantity and this will serve as a reminder of that.
Lisa
December 3, 2011 at 1:55 am

This comes as eliminations of articles. I think the next target will be the article sites. 2012 would really gone be worth watch. I feel every search engine is now gona do what google’s doing. Eliminate the spam!
Don
December 9, 2011 at 9:07 am

I’ve been writing for Yahoo, A/C, Demand Media, and a bunch of others for nearly 6 years now, and I like what’s been done. Demand Media (eHow) was garbage, and is garbage. I can say this with certainty because I, as a certified bodyman and painter who specializes in auto repair (with ASE certification) didn’t qualify for eHow’s auto section because I don’t hold a master’s degree. (there’s no such thing in the auto world) I’ve discovered that Panda actually was helpful to me, because overseas websites that were stealing my Yahoo work and republishing it have all but gone away. I do think that the algorythm still needs a few tweaks, though, to reduce the need for keywords in content and increase the need for “intent” in content.
- Chris Crum
  December 9, 2011 at 11:00 am
  
  Very interesting about the degree.
chandra
February 8, 2012 at 4:26 am

nice information that you give to me, give new experience about Associated Content
Jimmy Boyd
February 10, 2012 at 3:50 pm

I don’t believe I had any of my 1,500 or so articles deleted. But I have stopped writing for Yahoo Contributor Network because they are scarcely paying upfront payment anymore. Once that is gone, I’d rather publish on a site like HubPages, which has actually given me more page views (at least that I know of). Considering how many problems there are with YCN’s page-view statistics, who knows the truth? But Yahoo is not on my A list anymore.
sherry johanson
February 17, 2012 at 8:35 pm

I still write for YCN (formerly AC) and Jimmy Boyd is incorrect as far as pay is concerned. I have received more opportunities to write with YCN in recent months, so much so that I am able to support myself fully through writing. Jimmy has appeared on message boards complaining about YCN, and unfortunately is unwilling to take the advice of other writers on how to improve his writing to make more money.
Guy Lazarus
May 11, 2012 at 9:51 pm

Yahoo has laid off 2,000 employees, including some of the senior editors and staff at Yahoo! Voices.