• Reuters, Wednesday, May 9, 2007 10:33 AM

Yahoo is closing the door on several of its less successful products as the company continues to pare down its business model. The first to go was Yahoo Photos, replaced last week by Flickr, the photo-sharing site it acquired two years ago. On Wednesday, the Web portal added Yahoo Auctions to that list, terminating service in the U.S. and Canada, while maintaining overseas operations in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.

"We are making great strides in our ongoing efforts to align Yahoo's resources and focus on core strategic priorities," Jeff Weiner, executive vice president of Yahoo's Network Division, said after the Yahoo Photos announcement. Yahoo would not comment on whether these closings are part of a broader plan to eliminate underperforming services. Yahoo has a hand in just about every consumer service offered on the Web -- from e-commerce, to auto sales, classifieds, music, shopping search and online gaming.

The closing of Yahoo Auctions may have something to do with Yahoo's advertising partnership with eBay, Hitwise research director LeeAnn Prescott noted in a blog post. With Yahoo now managing ads on eBay, the Web portal was essentially competing with itself--and losing.

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