Anyone trying to use a Google or Facebook account to sign into Yahoo will be barred at the virtual door.
Under a new program only Yahoo email IDs will be accepted when a person wishes to sign into a Yahoo service like Flickr or Yahoo Sports, the company reported. A schedule for when the new rule will go into place across the board was not announced, but at least one Yahoo service is already off limits to outsiders.
This system is being instituted just in time for March Madness as Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick'Em is the first service to implement the new sign in process. So anyone organizing their office college hoops pool will have to make sure all the players have a the right credentials. The sign up process should be relatively painless. Either obtain a new one off the site's home page or if you remember you sign in and password try and kickstart an old account.
This change is just the latest in a slew of new ideas brought into play by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who is a former Google exec. The site recently revamped the look and feel of its news section, including creating a more dynamic tech, food and finance sections, bringing in big names like David Pogue to attract readers and spending big bucks acquiring the blogging site Tumblr.
"Yahoo is continually working on improving the user experience, which includes our sign-in process for Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick'Em," a Yahoo spokeswoman said in a statement. "This new process, which now asks users to sign in with a Yahoo username, will allow us to offer the best personalized experience to everyone."
When completed the move will level the playing field with Google. That site uses a closed garden approach requiring a Google issued online ID to utilize its services. There is a chance that users just might say no thanks and move along to another site that is not so picky. Opening up the sign in process to those with foreign credentials was one of the reasons former Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz made the decision to allow everyone onto the site.
It will be interesting to see if Yahoo takes another step in Google's direction by tying in every aspect of a person's online experience with the site. As all Google users know that site is relentless in requiring users make available as much personal data as possible when on the site.
