tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623297.post113260339815184783..comments2023-11-17T06:40:12.183-06:00Comments on Don Singleton: Angry AOL bloggers now push boycottsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623297.post-1132753137396743452005-11-23T07:38:00.000-06:002005-11-23T07:38:00.000-06:00Actually Don, you are right about the reputation o...Actually Don, you are right about the reputation of AOL users as "clueless." The IT guys at my university laugh in my face when I tell them I am an AOL customer.<BR/><BR/>We tried, as AOL bloggers, to shed that image, to prove that authors of AOL journals/blogs were not simple-minded, clueless people, so much so that AOL used many of our blogs as promotional material for several of their "channels."<BR/><BR/>And without a word, despite explicit assurances to the contrary, they dropped the A-bomb on us anyway. But the bill is <I>still</I> in the mail.jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06495025947391158651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623297.post-1132687550529411802005-11-22T13:25:00.000-06:002005-11-22T13:25:00.000-06:00I dont know who or what TWX is, nor do I know wher...I dont know who or what TWX is, nor do I know where I "alleged TWX was asking the journalers to pay for something that's already paid for'.<BR/><BR/>The subject being discussed was AoL inserting ads in journals that the AoL customers felt they were entitled to for free because they were paying a monthly fee to AoL.Don Singletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02991386635454877389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623297.post-1132686418879035032005-11-22T13:06:00.000-06:002005-11-22T13:06:00.000-06:00The thing you're forgetting Don, is that the infra...The thing you're forgetting Don, is that the infrastructure is already there - TWX has in fact set everything up for its journaling software to run. So, you're alleging that TWX is asking the journalers to pay for something that's already paid for? Here's yet another clue-card: Look up "Sunk Costs" in your project management book.redsneakzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03601491021519995930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623297.post-1132684223102510562005-11-22T12:30:00.000-06:002005-11-22T12:30:00.000-06:00Don, I never would have housed my art related blog...<I>Don, I never would have housed my art related blog at aol had the blogs had ad banners from the beginning. That seems to be the basic *clue* you are missing.</I><BR/><BR/><B>I suspect you were an AoL user, either paying $23.95 for the dialup access others pay $10 for, or paying the $14.95 in addition to your broadband service, for access to AoL's version of services you can get for elsewhere on the net for free. That is the basis for the clueless attribution that is generally assigned to someone with an AOL email address</B><BR/><BR/><I>You are welcome to start a blog there and enjoy the lovely seizure-inducing ad banners.</I><BR/><BR/><B>Thank you, but as I indicated above, I have set up trial blogs on a number of free blogging services for an <A HREF="http://tcs.org/ioport/may05/blog.htm" REL="nofollow">article</A> I wrote, and am quite happy with my ad free Blogger.Com blog (although I am considering moving to a WordPress blog.</B>Don Singletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02991386635454877389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623297.post-1132677374440064012005-11-22T10:36:00.000-06:002005-11-22T10:36:00.000-06:00Don, I never would have housed my art related blog...Don, I never would have housed my art related blog at aol had the blogs had ad banners from the beginning. That seems to be the basic *clue* you are missing.<BR/><BR/>You are welcome to start a blog there and enjoy the lovely seizure-inducing ad banners.Judith HeartSonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11950132362232278014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623297.post-1132671481391107722005-11-22T08:58:00.000-06:002005-11-22T08:58:00.000-06:00AoL has for many years charged its subscribers way...AoL has for many years charged its subscribers way more than others were paying for the same service. This is still true today, where they charge dial up customers $23.95 for something that not just Netscape (a part of AoL) and NetZero, but also most other dialup ISPs charge $10 to $15.<BR/><BR/>They used to charge $10 a month for people that wanted AoL's version of email and other services; I see that is now $14.95.<BR/><BR/>Everything that $14.95 buys you is available elsewhere on the internet for free. Sometimes that free service requires you to accept advertisements, sometimes it does not.<BR/><BR/>In the particular case of blogs, see <A HREF="http://tcs.org/ioport/may05/blog.htm" REL="nofollow">http://tcs.org/ioport/may05/blog.htm</A> for a comparison of Blogger, Live Journal, MSN Spaces, Blogsome (WordPress), and Yahoo 360, plus a list of three other free blog services, and several paid blog services charging less than AoL's $14.95 a month.<BR/><BR/>AoL lost 2 million customers last year. See <A HREF="http://consumeraffairs.com/news03/aol_subpoenas.html" REL="nofollow">this</A> site for further information.<BR/><BR/>I see several AoL users did not like the designation clueless. I am sorry if they were offended, but I dont know what else to say about someone that pays much more than they should for a service, and I would think that AoL's arbitrary addition of advertisements to their "paid for" blogs should help them to get a clue about what was going on.Don Singletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02991386635454877389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623297.post-1132660475127852492005-11-22T05:54:00.000-06:002005-11-22T05:54:00.000-06:00Well, I just want to clarify one point from my own...Well, I just want to clarify one point from my own perspective, lest I be labeled "clueless."<BR/><BR/>I do not pay AOL for connectivity. I pay my cable company for that. I do, however, pay AOL subscription fees because, and only because, once AOL opened up its blog or journals feature to free AIM usage, we paid members were assured that our fees would maintain an ad-free platform, while the non-paid ones would contain advertisements.<BR/><BR/>That changed in one fell swoop without announcement, without warning. <BR/><BR/>And in my opinion, and only mine as I do not speak for my colleagues and friends, I find it reprehensible to renege on a promise, implied or expressed, without any semblance of warning.<BR/><BR/>And that is my objection to AOL's business ethics.jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06495025947391158651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623297.post-1132626944598134862005-11-21T20:35:00.001-06:002005-11-21T20:35:00.001-06:00*alone*aloneArmandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02528409989672756613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10623297.post-1132626925739894732005-11-21T20:35:00.000-06:002005-11-21T20:35:00.000-06:00Your premise that we pay AOL for connectivity-alon...Your premise that we pay AOL for connectivity-along is illogical.<BR/><BR/>Since the majority of your position stems from an illogical premise, your position carries no water.<BR/><BR/>It's actually <I>that</I> simple, Don. If it weren't, everyone would be permitted to use the AOL software for free.<BR/><BR/>It <I>might</I> work to your advantage to actually develop your own clue in the argument before you go about "regarding" other people as clueless.Armandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02528409989672756613noreply@blogger.com