Delicious going under? Really?

First I have to admit that I don't really utilize Delicious to its full potential, so I guess I am part of the problem here. I have two really great thematic lists set up--both of which accompanied library class projects--that I like to point people to from time to time. Beyond that, I have to say that I don't often think to go to Delicious for my own information gathering needs. But I should.

I was reading an article recently that suggested some ingenious ways to use Delicious, by, say, tracking which users are tagging current and significant content. By identifying a handful of these super-users it is easy to subscribe to the lists that are most likely to remain current and useful. It also offers a window into who is likely to have a fantastic blog. Finding tech resources (in particular) can be a challenge and Delicious really does offer a way to find the best stuff out there.  There are also fantastic thematic lists that teachers can use to weed through all the information out there to find lesson resources. It is a fantastic time saver for a group of professionals with very little extra time to comb the web. 

Beyond individual users, there are many institutiions that really rely on their Delicious links to share information--schools and libraries are among the most diligent users. So this begs an important question: Is the profitability of a service the only thing that matters? Sure, you can argue that Yahoo is expending valuable time and resources on maintaining Delicious, and that the profit potential is not there. Is it costing them money? Definitely. But who cares? Chalk it up to a social service and move on.

Museums and libraries offer free services all the time, often working on severely limited budgets. The point is to increase benefits of some kind to the community, which is a worthwhile endeavor. Yahoo, on the other hand, has tons of money, and is in the business of making more. Good for them. But is it really so hard for a for-profit company to see the benefits of maintaining a service just because it helps other organizations to better do their jobs? It isn't costing Yahoo much to maintain Delicious in the grand scheme of things.

What Yahoo needs to do is shift their attitude towards Delicious. Stop trying to make it into a cash cow--we have enough of that on the web already. Instead, why not publicize what a great public service it is (Target promotes their community giving campaigns all the time). It would be the best type of free advertising--the kind where a Goliath of a corporation does something for the little guys, just because they can. You can't buy that type of public endearment, and I know I would like Yahoo a lot better if I thought they cared at all about something besides profitability.