Every time I look at Yahoo's homepage, I can't help but ask myself: why don't they change everything and put online a simple homepage, with a big search box and just a few other features users want?
Why don't they put all their other services and features out of the way under a "more" label on their homepage? These services probably get more traffic from Google than from their homepage anyway...
What do people really want? What could Yahoo! show on their homepage, if they want to keep a bit of the "portal" look, that would entice people to sign in – or to sign up! – to get more and to DO more?
How about: news, music, videos and people? Doesn't Yahoo! always insist that they have "people touch"? And don't they say that they are a "media company"? Great. Then just do it.
news: roll-out a nicer and simpler and better Yahoo! Buzz in every country! News for the people and by the people. Now, before Digg does it! And get real: not only finance news and tech news, but also gossip, sports, movies, music and tv. Stuff normal people want to read about and share with friends.
music: isn't it time to ditch the current, messy and hard-to-use Yahoo! Music "portal" for something a hundred times simpler, like a service which is just about songs, songs you like, songs your friends like and songs people with a taste similar to yours like. Do it! Larry and Sergey are not too fond of music.
videos: same with video: forget about YouTube or video search. Look at what Hulu.com is doing. Play the nice, responsible media company. Show only official movies, music videos and tv shows. Plus, add community features to highlight what your friends are watching and liking and what you might like.
people: now you know the news people read, the music they listen to, the movies and shows they like. Add photos and a basic free personal profiles and offer free basic online dating. Also offer basic professional profiles for Joe-the-plumber. Later, add extra premium features. You CAN do it.