ClipMarks bites the dust

 
 
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POSTED: March 28, 2012
 
 
 
 
 

I just got an email from ClipMarks, about whom I had thought nothing for several years. It said

After much consideration, we’ve decided that it is time to shutdown Clipmarks. On behalf of the team, I want to thank you for being part of our journey. It is important to us that we shut down the service in the most responsible and considerate manner possible. Towards that end there are two things that you should consider:

  • First, we’ve arranged with Clipboard (a new service under entirely different ownership and management) to give you an account on their service, which is currently accessible by invitation-only. You can accept this invitation and register your account now.
  • Second, from the registration page, Clipboard will allow you to easily request that your old clips be preserved in Clipboard. If you don’t want them converted, then do nothing. We can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to convert all of your older clips, but if the demand is sufficient, we will do our best.

We hope that you’ll accept the invitation to join Clipboard. Like Clipmarks, they believe that the Web is better when people can easily save, share and discuss the parts that they care about.

the ClipMark logo at the time of death

I followed the link to the Clipboard (a new service under entirely different ownership and management) blog, and its seems that ClipMarks is not the only service shutting down without giving notice. Some sister service I had never heard of called Amplify is also shutting down with immediate effect.

Boy, do they have an angry bunch of ex-users posting on the Clipboard site!

I stopped using ClipMarks because a combination of Evernote and ReadItLater worked much better for me. Now the Evernote has the Clearly browser plugin I can store any web page offline, and keep as much or as little formatting as I want. I looked at Clipboard’s site, and I couldn’t see anything to change my mind.

I hope they find a niche and lived there happily ever after, but I m not convinced that it will be a big niche.