14 DAY TRIAL // Yahoo has long given up on competing directly with the likes of Google or Facebook, in search or social networking, and it's now even beginning to offer integration with both services. Yahoo is now opening up to third-party registrations enabling users with a Google or Facebook account to sign up for Yahoo and have all the benefits of a registered users without having to go through the lengthy process.
"This week Yahoo! will be opening our network to third-party ID sign-in options with Facebook and Google. We’re offering people who don’t already have a Yahoo! account (and even those who do) a new way to participate, create, and share their experiences across almost all of Yahoo!," Yahoo wrote.
"Basically, we’re delivering a great personal experience on Yahoo!, whether you sign in with a Yahoo!, Facebook, or Google ID," it continued.
What this means is that you'll be able to engage on any Yahoo property regardless if you have a Yahoo account or not. Of course, after almost two decades online, you'd expect everyone to have a Yahoo account by now, but there are still plenty of people out there that don't, as Yahoo's registration numbers show.
"After you sign-in to Yahoo! with your Google or Facebook ID you’ll be able to start sharing articles, leaving comments, playing Fantasy Sports, personalizing your stock portfolio, rating movies, music and restaurants, and much more," Yahoo explained.
Yahoo made the first step a few months ago when it enabled Google account registrations on Flickr. The move proved to be quite a success, apparently conversion rates shot up by 20 percent as, each day, 10,000 more people signed up for the service than they'd normally have.
When spread across all of Yahoo's properties, which still attract 600 million people each month, and with Facebook thrown in the mix as well, Yahoo should be getting a lot more registrations each day which can only prove beneficial for the site's long term survival.