Geocities shutting down...

[Alidar Jarok]

All the thoughts that crossed through my mind have been said. The site was a pain, especially with its ads, but it really is the end of an era. Now that I think about it, I think I once created a webpage on geocities (shows how much I cared, since I had forgotten about it ), but many other people put it to great use.

There are still plenty of websites using geocities that'll probably be lost because of this

 

[Brian Bosworth]

Man thats a stinker.Geocities has so many great webpages.

 

[Samurai8472]

Oh, bummer. My first website was hosted there... kinda the end of an era.

Me too, I made my first website for my Computer class in 8th grade.

 

[Marie1]

Odd question but curiousity is kicking in...

Did they still use the old 'geocities.com/StrangetownLA/SomethingElse/YourSite' style or did they actually put subdomains in?

It would be geocities.com/Your ID/Subdomain (if any)/filename. jpg/html etc.

All the thoughts that crossed through my mind have been said. The site was a pain, especially with its ads, but it really is the end of an era. Now that I think about it, I think I once created a webpage on geocities (shows how much I cared, since I had forgotten about it ), but many other people put it to great use.

I think they changed it? You could have ads on the side, like this site does, or an "ad square" that you could close. I think that was it.

There are still plenty of websites using geocities that'll probably be lost because of this

Ah yes... aol closing all over again...

 

[Lynx]

As you can see in another post, I'm really annoyed by Geocities's behavior in this matter.

I did find out that they were closing on this forum. So I did access the site and found the following message:

Why is GeoCities not accepting new customers?

We have decided to discontinue the process of allowing new customers to sign up for GeoCities accounts as we focus on helping our customers explore and build new relationships online in other ways. We will be closing GeoCities later this year.

I'm a GeoCities customer. What's happening to my site?

Existing GeoCities accounts have not changed. You can continue to enjoy your web site and GeoCities services until later this year. You don't need to change a thing right now — we just wanted you to let you know about the closure as soon as possible. We'll provide more details about closing GeoCities and how to save your site data this summer, and we will update the help center with more details at that time.
Will something happen to my GeoCities Free or Plus account?
Later this year we will be closing all GeoCities accounts and web sites. We'll send you more details this summer.

Can I prepare for GeoCities closing now?

All of our GeoCities customers can continue to enjoy their sites and GeoCities services until later this year. You don't need to change your service today, but we encourage anyone interested in a full-featured web hosting plan to consider upgrading to our award-winning Yahoo! Web Hosting service.
Yahoo! Web Hosting includes a personalized domain name (such as widgetdesigns.com) and matching email, new site building tools, unlimited disk space and bandwidth, premium customer support, and more. See details.

When will I get more information?

We'll provide more details about closing GeoCities and how to save your site data this summer, and we will update the help center with more details at that time.

Does Yahoo! offer another free hosting service?

No, Yahoo! does not offer another free hosting service. Instead we recommend our award-winning Yahoo! Web Hosting service, which includes a personalized domain name (such as widgetdesigns.com) and matching email, new site building tools, unlimited disk space and bandwidth, premium customer support, and more. Learn more or sign up.

As a Yahoo! customer, you also can now use your free Yahoo! profile as a central point to manage your identity, activities, and interests across Yahoo! and make it easy to connect and share with the people who matter to you most. Visit your profile now or learn more about Yahoo! profiles.
I have a GeoCities email address. Will I get to keep it when GeoCities closes?
Yes. Some of our earliest GeoCities customers took advantage of GeoCities email addresses, like you@geocities.com. Those email addresses will not change with the closure later this year.

I did send a mail to them, asking for options and the reply I got was simply the same message as above. Bastards!

What they obviously want is that we should stick around and then, when closing time comes, we will join their "award-winning Yahoo! Web Hosting service" and start paying them for having an account there. For me this is unacceptable for many reasons.

First of all, I'm not making any money out of that site. I've done that for fun, as a hobby.

Second, they have made a lot of money on my site during all those years by smacking lots of ads on it. I'm sure that they get some cash every time someone visits my site. I've had over 73 000 visits to the site over the years

Third, since I'm living in a "banana republic" which currency is constantly falling compared to the $ USD, paying them for their "service" can end up being an expensive business for me.

Fourth, they did actually annoy me some years ago when they cancelled the possibility to use an FTP program to update the site, making updating a bit more complicated. Even then, they did recommend that I should switch to the option where I have to pay for an account. I was close to move the site then but for some stupid reason, I decided to stick with them. This time I won't do that.

Fifth, their arrogant way to inform us about their decision and the fact that they didn't bother to reply to my mail in another way than simply copying the information I already have has really p***ed me off.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

As you can see in another post, I'm really annoyed by Geocities's behavior in this matter.

I did find out that they were closing on this forum. So I did access the site and found the following message:

Why is GeoCities not accepting new customers?

We have decided to discontinue the process of allowing new customers to sign up for GeoCities accounts as we focus on helping our customers explore and build new relationships online in other ways. We will be closing GeoCities later this year.

I'm a GeoCities customer. What's happening to my site?

Existing GeoCities accounts have not changed. You can continue to enjoy your web site and GeoCities services until later this year. You don't need to change a thing right now — we just wanted you to let you know about the closure as soon as possible. We'll provide more details about closing GeoCities and how to save your site data this summer, and we will update the help center with more details at that time.
Will something happen to my GeoCities Free or Plus account?
Later this year we will be closing all GeoCities accounts and web sites. We'll send you more details this summer.

Can I prepare for GeoCities closing now?

All of our GeoCities customers can continue to enjoy their sites and GeoCities services until later this year. You don't need to change your service today, but we encourage anyone interested in a full-featured web hosting plan to consider upgrading to our award-winning Yahoo! Web Hosting service.
Yahoo! Web Hosting includes a personalized domain name (such as widgetdesigns.com) and matching email, new site building tools, unlimited disk space and bandwidth, premium customer support, and more. See details.

When will I get more information?

We'll provide more details about closing GeoCities and how to save your site data this summer, and we will update the help center with more details at that time.

Does Yahoo! offer another free hosting service?

No, Yahoo! does not offer another free hosting service. Instead we recommend our award-winning Yahoo! Web Hosting service, which includes a personalized domain name (such as widgetdesigns.com) and matching email, new site building tools, unlimited disk space and bandwidth, premium customer support, and more. Learn more or sign up.

As a Yahoo! customer, you also can now use your free Yahoo! profile as a central point to manage your identity, activities, and interests across Yahoo! and make it easy to connect and share with the people who matter to you most. Visit your profile now or learn more about Yahoo! profiles.
I have a GeoCities email address. Will I get to keep it when GeoCities closes?
Yes. Some of our earliest GeoCities customers took advantage of GeoCities email addresses, like you@geocities.com. Those email addresses will not change with the closure later this year.

I did send a mail to them, asking for options and the reply I got was simply the same message as above. Bastards!

What they obviously want is that we should stick around and then, when closing time comes, we will join their "award-winning Yahoo! Web Hosting service" and start paying them for having an account there. For me this is unacceptable for many reasons.

First of all, I'm not making any money out of that site. I've done that for fun, as a hobby.

Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but it's their service, their rules. They don't have to offer it for free, you know? There are other fish in the sea, so to speak. Check your other thread, where I and others offered you space or pointed you to free hosts. No sense getting all riled up about something you can easily rectify.

Second, they have made a lot of money on my site during all those years by smacking lots of ads on it. I'm sure that they get some cash every time someone visits my site. I've had over 73 000 visits to the site over the years

Web ads don't normally work that way. Usually, it's paid based on the number of ads people click. 73,000 visits, assuming 1 out of every 1000 people clicks an ad, and assuming they get 20 cents per click, is less than $15. Hardly worth what it cost them to provide the space and bandwidth. It's just not a money-making venture for them at this point.

Third, since I'm living in a "banana republic" which currency is constantly falling compared to the $ USD, paying them for their "service" can end up being an expensive business for me.

So I can understand your desire to want a free service. There are services out there.

Fourth, they did actually annoy me some years ago when they cancelled the possibility to use an FTP program to update the site, making updating a bit more complicated. Even then, they did recommend that I should switch to the option where I have to pay for an account. I was close to move the site then but for some stupid reason, I decided to stick with them. This time I won't do that.

FTP access can be a security hassle, and they can't shove ads in your face unless they make you use their web-based editing tools, I'm sure. Just another bottom line issue, I suppose.

Fifth, their arrogant way to inform us about their decision and the fact that they didn't bother to reply to my mail in another way than simply copying the information I already have has really p***ed me off.

It's unlikely they even copied and pasted it, they probably have an automated responder. What do you want them to say? "Gee, we're really sorry, we'll keep Geocities open just because you're so upset." It's not gonna happen. Just move on, you know? Get your site hosted somewhere else, and to hell with Geocities.

 

[Marie1]

The fact that they want people on the free site to buy into their paid service when they're shutting down is pretty stupid though... unless they're only shutting down the free part? But they said Geocities, so I'm assuming that's all of it... tho I do skim sometimes.

 

[Lynx]

It's unlikely they even copied and pasted it, they probably have an automated responder. What do you want them to say? "Gee, we're really sorry, we'll keep Geocities open just because you're so upset." It's not gonna happen. Just move on, you know? Get your site hosted somewhere else, and to hell with Geocities.

Nah, I didn't want or expect any compassion, just something more than their nonsense reply repeated all over.

And yes, I can agree with your final statement.

I also know that it's their service and they have no obligation to keep it free. Howevere, I do think that it's an act of greed from them. Not to mention that when someone creates trouble for me, then I do have the bad habit of getting angry and start hating that someone.

I'm considering your offer and a lot of other suggestions as well. Unfortunately, I have to spend a lot of precious time to read the terms for each web host, there are a lot of "you are not allowed to do this" and "you can't do that" and other obstacles involved. Not to mention the space allowed, the functionality and how it works to upload things. I know at least one good web host who has the most dreadful uploading system I've seen which isn't that funny when there's a lot of stuff which is going to be moved and uploaded. The fact that I have some other minor projects going on some of the available web hosts does complicate some things. I may have to close one of those to move the Kes Website to that location and so on.

Besides that, I don't want to choose a new location just to be faced with the same problem again in a couple of months (something which happened to a person I know who have moved his website three times in a short time).

Marie1 wrote:

The fact that they want people on the free site to buy into their paid service when they're shutting down is pretty stupid though... unless they're only shutting down the free part? But they said Geocities, so I'm assuming that's all of it... tho I do skim sometimes.

Yahoo/Geocities is closing the Geocities part in which the free websites obviously are located. Instead they are trying to steer those who have free websites to their "award-winning Yahoo! Web Hosting service" which you have to pay for.

 

[Starkers]

This is a bugger, I've had my only site there for probably 8 years there now...oh well everything is backed up so I won't lose anything, but will have to find another way of hosting it for free (I'm a cheapskate!)

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Here's a site with a bunch of free hosting services: http://www.free-webhosts.com/

Snap to it, guys!

 

[Lynx]

Here's a site with a bunch of free hosting services: http://www.free-webhosts.com/

Snap to it, guys!

Excellent website! A lot of information about free web hosts. Great to read the many reviews which gives a lot of good information.

Thaks a lot for providing this link to us "Geocities refugees".

 

[Marie1]

Marie1 wrote:

The fact that they want people on the free site to buy into their paid service when they're shutting down is pretty stupid though... unless they're only shutting down the free part? But they said Geocities, so I'm assuming that's all of it... tho I do skim sometimes.

Yahoo/Geocities is closing the Geocities part in which the free websites obviously are located. Instead they are trying to steer those who have free websites to their "award-winning Yahoo! Web Hosting service" which you have to pay for.

Hmm... since my Domain registration costs 50$ a year maybe I should go with their 60$/year plan with comes with a free domain...

But that's something then, I thought from the original message they were shutting down their whole hosting dohickey.

 

[Trent Roman]

Saw that other day... there goes the Crystal Prism. What a transparent money grab; even if their service wasn't outrageously expensive, the utter callousness of this would ensure I would never seek hosting with them again.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[Lynx]

Saw that other day... there goes the Crystal Prism. What a transparent money grab; even if their service wasn't outrageously expensive, the utter callousness of this would ensure I would never seek hosting with them again.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

The Crystal Prism can be moved to another free site. It would be a waste if it just dissapeared.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Marie1 wrote:

The fact that they want people on the free site to buy into their paid service when they're shutting down is pretty stupid though... unless they're only shutting down the free part? But they said Geocities, so I'm assuming that's all of it... tho I do skim sometimes.

Yahoo/Geocities is closing the Geocities part in which the free websites obviously are located. Instead they are trying to steer those who have free websites to their "award-winning Yahoo! Web Hosting service" which you have to pay for.

Hmm... since my Domain registration costs 50$ a year maybe I should go with their 60$/year plan with comes with a free domain...

But that's something then, I thought from the original message they were shutting down their whole hosting dohickey.

$50 a year? For a domain?? Is this USD or some other strange currency? There is absolutely no way you should be paying that much for a domain...

 

[plague]

I think it's about time. They've kind of been replaced by free blogging sites and social networking sites. It's so much easier, if you want a free personal page about yourself, just to set up myspace, facebook, or a blog.

I work for an anti-spam company, and I think maybe 1 in 100,000 e-mail messages that contain a link to a geocities web site are legitimate sites and not a spammer Web site redirect. I can't believe it took geocities this long to realize that their service had turned into a free spammer haven.

 

[jamestyler]

[$50 a year? For a domain?? Is this USD or some other strange currency? There is absolutely no way you should be paying that much for a domain...

Seconded!

Who did you register with?

 

[Marie1]

$50 a year? For a domain?? Is this USD or some other strange currency? There is absolutely no way you should be paying that much for a domain...

[$50 a year? For a domain?? Is this USD or some other strange currency? There is absolutely no way you should be paying that much for a domain...

Seconded!

Who did you register with?

It's in CDN dollars, but the difference between CDN and US isn't that big. I should point out I pay a few bucks for private domain registration, but otherwise, yeah- that's just for the domain. It was half that four years ago when I signed up with Geocities- so that's where I bought my domain. Maybe now that Geocities is going away, I'll cut all ties.

Now, beating the dead horse... but even though Geocities is still telling people to get into their paid hosting, and we thought that the closing would only affect the free site- Plus isn't free, and the Geocities FAQ says:

Will something happen to my GeoCities Free or Plus account? Later this year we will be closing all GeoCities accounts and web sites. We'll send you more details this summer.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

You should really initiate a domain transfer ASAP. GoDaddy.com is a good service. I don't use them but most people I know do. I am just attached to the service I started with, years and years ago... I still only pay $12.50 a year, though. Sure beats the $70 for two years we all used to had to fork over to NetSol...

 

[Lynx]

At least I've solved the problem. I signed up at www.110mb.com after checking out some interesting sites which I did find in the link that Robert Maxwell provided. They got a lot of positive reviews so I thought it could be worth a try.

I've just uploaded all files to the new location which is

http://lynx677.110mb.com/

I would also like to thank everyone who have come up with suggestions and offers.