SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Yahoo has followed through on a promise to give outside developers access to its software in order to jazz-up the website with fun, hip or functional programmes.

Early this year, the pioneering Internet firm outlined a shift to an "Open Strategy" that it believes will invigorate Yahoo and lead to meshing offerings from hot online properties such as Amazon and iTunes with its web pages.

"We're open," Jay Rossiter of Yahoo Open Strategy said in message posted online. "Have at it."

Rossiter invited software developers to "come in and assess our tools and data so they can build applications for a more customized, social and relevant Yahoo! network and beyond."

Yahoo wants to enhance the social aspects of its website in order to attract new people to its online services and get existing users to spend more time on its advertising-supported pages.

Outside developers are invited to find creative ways to interlace and enhance popular Yahoo services such as it email, finance, sports and Flickr photo-sharing websites.

"Most obvious will be the social aspects," Rossiter said of Yahoo's evolution.

"We're rolling out a social platform that will draw on the hundreds of millions of connections on Yahoo! -- everything from random encounters with someone who commented on the same photo as you, to deep connections you have with friends who know nearly everything about you."

Yahoo users will be able to customize home pages with applications linking them to online auction house eBay, CNN news coverage and movie rental powerhouse Netflix.

"Reaching this step in our Yahoo! Open Strategy has been a significant effort, requiring hundreds of developers in offices around the world," Rossiter wrote.

"We've even worked hand-in-hand with Google, MySpace, and many other of our traditional competitors as partners in this effort."

Yahoo cautions that its Open Strategy is still in a nascent phase and will be honed based on feedback from users and developers.

"We're anxious to see what developers out there have up their sleeves and what you'll do with it," Rossiter said in his message.

Yahoo claims more than 500 million users worldwide but has been struggling to cash-in on its popularity.

Yahoo's sagging fortunes and Google's ascension as Internet advertising king prompted Microsoft on January 31 to offer to buy Yahoo for 44.6 billion dollars in a half-cash, half-stock deal.

Microsoft was eager to combine online resources with Yahoo in order to better battle Google.

Microsoft walked away from negotiations May 3 after Yahoo rejected an offer it raised from 31 dollars to 33 dollars per share, which amounted to 47.5 billion dollars.

Yahoo subsequently made a deal with Google to put its online advertising expertise to work on Yahoo websites. That deal is to take effect later this year if it passes muster with US anti-trust regulators.