Yahoo suggests switching from MyBlogLog to Yahoo Pulse

Neither MyBlogLog's statistical tool nor the link tracker is working. Only the special customizable widget (shown on the left) remains functional in a number of blogs I visited the past few days. Will the sleek mobile-phone-looking widget be the only reminder of a blogging community that once buzzed with activity?

May 24 is still three months away, but since its recent statement on discontinuing MyBlogLog soon, Yahoo has been encouraging community members to make the switch from MyBlogLog to Yahoo Pulse.

Yahoo Pulse is basically Yahoo Profile rebranded. Users describe it as a cross between Twitter, Facebook and Friendster. Some find Yahoo Pulse "non-user friendly" and "worse than Google buzz." Others praise it for simplicity and social media connectivity.

MyBlogLog to officially die on May 24

A fearless forecast made in 2009 comes true in 2011.
(photo credit: Petr Kratochvil)

As predicted in the late 2009 by bloggers, Yahoo will cut ties with MyBlogLog. The official death of MyBlogLog is expected on May 24 this year, Yahoo revealed this week.

Founded by Todd Sampson and Eric Marcoullier, MyBlogLog  is one of the pioneering social networking communities that allow bloggers to connect better with their readers.

The community offers a free widget that you can install on your blog site to "see" the avatars of your visitors and discover "who is checking you out."

Another popular feature integrated into MyBlogLog  (and my personal favorite) is a detailed analytics spread on where your readers come from, what they are viewing, and what links they clicked last before leaving your blog site ala Google's in-page analytics simplified.

With the proliferation of similar widgets taking over the net though, there's no telling how members of MyBlogLog will  react.

The community is not the first to be axed by Yahoo. As reported at CNet News, the death row at Yahoo is apt to be a long one -- and all for the sake of cost cutting. Already slashed and soon-to-be-dropped features include All the Web, Alta Vista, Delicious, Mash, Yahoo 360, Yahoo Buzz and Yahoo Picks.