Here's what's going to be installed:
* Save Entry Fix:
Many
users have been having problems saving entries to their Journals. The
problem was fixed on the server side (incorrect files were replaced)
and the server caches were flushed, but the bad files may have
remained, stored in caches on your computer. This would have caused you
to still see the problem.
One fix was clearing your browser & TopSpeed caches, which should have fixed the problem for most people (unfortunately, a lot of people wouldn't know or didn't hear to do this).
To
remedy this, this patch will force your computer to get the correct
version of the files, by telling it to go look for the correct files in
a new location. This will bypass any cached versions of the incorrect
files still stored on your machine.
* Advertising Banner Disclaimer:
Several
changes to the header design will be incorporated to visually
distinguish the advertising banner from the user-generated content
below it:
vertical space and a light blue horizontal line is going to be placed
between the advertisement and the AOL Journals header.
I
have asked the tech folks to keep an eye on the comments to this entry
-- If you still have problems saving Journal entries, or experience
other problems with Journals after the install window ends at 6AM,
please leave a comment so the tech folks can be made aware of it.
Thanks -- Joe
49 comments:
Can't wait to actually see what the disclaimer looks like.
Kathy
??? Do we leave the computer on or not in order to do the rolling install???
I like the disclaimer idea! GREAT!of course the ads never bothered me really either,so....
Thank you AOL! I still love ya.... give Joe a raise!
~Julie
h
I Love the ad disclaimer
Dorisldallas,
The changes are all on our side -- you don't have to do anything and it won't make any difference if your computer is on or off.
I only mentioned the install because if you're awake and looking at Journals between 4-6AM ET, you might see some weirdness.
(posted & mailed)
Thanks -- Joe
Nice of you to try to help the people who are so unhappy. Paula
I already HAVE a disclaimer on my journal... I did that on day one of the invasion. How is this a solution to anything????? Does it remove unwanted advertising from our journals? Does this stop AOL from double dipping into my pocket? Does this stop my personal creativity from being sold against my will to the highest bidder without any of the money going into my pocket????
Oh, and could AOL have possibly used any smaller font what you are showing to do this..... let me get my magnifying glass.....
Virginia
Still protesting and still waiting for a real solution and an apology and some demonstration that AOL has any concept that customers have value.
The people talk, Joe listens, and AOL responds!
Is it too late to request them to make a Smurf journal skin?
Can't help but wonderk, will THIS fix this for real?
Will the ads be SMALLER? Still flashing? still making the journals load so slowly?
I guess there is ONE SMALL bright spot, at least we know a) aol is listening b) there were more then 23 complaints .. they wouldn't have changed a thing for 23 complaints!
promise
Sorry, but this does not fix the issue I have. I put in my own disclaimer. Only mine states if the ad is clicked, the user will get a virus. I think mine is more effective than theirs.
Why can't we have a choice to have ads or not? Some people don't mind them. It could be a little box to check in the journal's edit controls (used to create or edit layout/features). Seems simple enough to me.
Yesterday, I had an ad for a drug. I do not advocate advertising for drug companies. I already fight against this in my personal life. Now, with no choice of which ad shows up, I'm being made a hypocrit. That sucks.
Cat
Well, that's a definite improvement, Joe. Although I'm sure that many journalers will not be satisfied with anything less than total capitulation on the ad issue (I'm not saying that people should or should not, just that some will not), others will undoubtedly find this is something they can live with.
The only other potential problem I see is in what is visible at the top of the page when the ads are filtered out. BlogExplosion did a new screen shot of Musings last week, and it was a picture of a polar bear in a blizzard - all blank whiteness, with a little smudge at the top. I have to wonder whether that was a glitch at their end, or whether all screen shots of the top of a journal from now on will look like that if the banner is blocked:
http://www.blogexplosion.com/directory/index.php?CID=29&Start=630
Weird huh?
Karen
http://journals.aol.com/mavarin/MusingsfromMavarin/
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com/
Tech Folks,
Joe says you will be reading these comments.
The ads suck. I detest them. They're intrusive and many of us have moral, ethical or business-competitive objections to having them appear on our Journals.
Our friendly Journal "Guru" Scalzi implied for us that paid Journals were to be ad-free. Either he lied to us, or your employer lied to him - or we are playing word games with "that was then, this is now and someone changed their mind somewhere along the line so it wasn't a lie when John said it - and we're not giving you access to the people who 'thought' it would be a great idea to ambush loyal paying customers' journals with ads, so just write some e-mail address and cool your jets because the ads are here to stay."
Word games: NOT GOOD FOR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.
Got all that?
Good.
So, let us know when you plan on canning the ads - because we're told that your bosses failed to tell John and Joe when they were going to make major changes to our Journals, which leaves you guys as the only ones with access to AOL Keyword: Clue.
Ambushing paying customers: NOT GOOD FOR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.
And the best part? When the ads are gone (NO, disclaimers are NOT an acceptable alternative), I can make my journal public again so you guys can read about the rest of my AOL Customer "Service" adventures. Until then, drop me an e-mail. Maybe we can chat directly about you guys restoring my wrongfully-deleted journal that y'all are giving me 18 Free Months of free service for because you "couldn't" resurrect my journal that never actually had a TOS violating link after all.
So, yeah - shoot me an e-mail. Let's chat.
Thank you Joe, for all the work you have done and what you have done to try to keep us in the loop. I think the change to the banner is a good improvement. Of course, I'd love to see the banner gone, but compromise will work as well. Blessings, Penny http://journals.aol.com/firestormkids04/FromHeretoThere
no.... give us the option of removing the ads totally so that NOBODY sees them. Yes, how many people have complained? It sure was not 23.
judi
No ... not good enough!
*** Coy ***
Awww, darn, I was hoping they'd be sending me a check in the mail if they won't be taking the banners down. It would help pay for all the toys for Christmas for the kiddos, ya know.
Starving Writer,
Lisa : )
I came across another journaler who was complaining about how the banner ads affected her ability to print out her journal pages. In order to archive her own work, she was simply printing a hard copy of each page, and putting it in a binder, by clicking the printer icon in the title bar of the page. Now, when she does that, the ad prints, and nothing else. This is a problem that I think should be addressed.
-Paul
You know it is really too bad that AOL isn't on the cutting edge anymore like they used to be. What we need now is a spam blocker for AOL! We don't need banners everywhere we surf. This is totally ridicules. They have become what all of us fled on other internet providers. How sad. Shame on AOL
All of your commentors have valid points. I must say though, I agree with Cat, Judi, Virginia and expecially Armand on this one though.
Nope, not good enough.
Stacy
Dear AOL Techs,
I have stayed on the AOL journals since the exodus mainly b/c I had so much stuff saved over the years on there. I'm not happy with it and you might have seen my graphic that is on so many journals that says "AOL Jland Take a Stand." Well, i just recently got all my entries and pics off my AOL Journal and saved onto my computer...soon to go to a disk. Ill then be transfering it over to blogspot which will take a while, but at least there are NO ads there. I agree with all the comments below on the ads being a bad idea and the disclaimer you put at the bottom being a bad idea. I want the ads GONE or I'm GONE. And hey, just think, once we're ALL gone, and we just go to other NEW journalers and email them when they come telling them they can have a free journal at blogspot w/NO ads and they leave...you'll be out of a job...what ya think about that? If there is no one except the editors that stay on the AOL Journals..then there is no need in keeping the department. We can put our own disclaimer up...we want the banners GONE COMPLETELY....this idea of this entry witht he disclaimer is NOT ENOUGH...I'll expect an email relating to this post. Otherwise Ill know that AOL really doesnt care about customer satisfaction and I'm GONE!
Felicia
Joe,
It's still wrong that paying customers have to be subjected
to this, even with the changes coming.
This just isnt going to do it for me either.
Connie
Joe,
Thanks for passing along the message.
I'm glad AOL is putting in a disclaimer, although I think the wording is a bit lame. I'd have said something more along the lines of this:
THE BLOG AUTHOR DOES NOT ENDORSE OR SELECT THE SPONSORS APPEARING IN THIS SPACE.
For one thing, it would have put the "Blog Author" BEFORE the sponsor. But then, I guess AOL hasn't done that since "Black Tuesday," anyway. It would also add the notice that not only should an ad on our blogs not be construed as our approval of the sponsor, we don't get to have any say in who appears. I happen to think both are important for readers to know. As many webpage authors DO have a say in which advertising appears on their page, I'm not sure that it would be assumed by those who come here from outside the AOL product that we don't have that luxury.
Patrick
The Washington Post likes when AOL screws their paying customers...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/22/AR2005112201648.html
...especially when AOL spokeswoman validates my belief that the Corporate Office is painfully clueless about what is going on here when she says things like,
advertising on blogs is "consistent with the practices of other major blog providers on the internet."
Here's a clue - free of charge.
Other major blog providers are not shoving advertising down our throats. If we don't want it, we don't have to tolerate it. And it's free. FREE.
Imagine that. We're not even paying for blogger.com (blogspot) and we don't have to put up with advertising!
And Kathie? Is it "consistent with the practices of other major blog providers on the internet" to ambush their paying customers and disregard the overwhelmingly negative reaction to what only the company refers to as an upgrade?
Is it, Kathie?
Speak-up, spokeswoman...
Armand
http://armandt.blogspot.com/2005/11/aol-keyword-clueless.html
I loved the Washington Post article. At least somebody is listening to our complaints. I continue to be very dismayed by the AOL response, no, lack of response, on this banner ad issue. Disclaimers do not solve the basic problem: Advertisements are anathema to personal expression. Nothing can change that.
Is it "consistent with the practices of other major blog providers on the internet" to ambush their paying customers and disregard the overwhelmingly negative reaction to what only the company refers to as an upgrade?
---------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, Touche! (That's pronounced two-shay).
I can ot save my entrys at all frustarted
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/22/AR2005112201648.html
I agree. It's nice to know that someone IS listening to our complaints. Too bad for AOL that today it just happened to be the Washington Post. And where is that dear Kathie? I think she has some 'splainin to do.
ROFL at being assured the install is on YOUR end and WE won't have to do anything for it to work. You mean like last time? Joe, you're funny.
Okay, disclaimer is lame, just like Patrick says. And, just once, wouldn't it be nice for AOL to put people before advertisements? I know we're splitting hairs, but dang it, sometimes symbolism speaks louder than all caps.
Here's mine:
The blog author does not endorse, approve, or is in any way compensated by America Online or the companies advertising in his or her personal space.
And in big letters. Flashing. Maybe not. Big letters. Not tiny print. And it should be color coordinated to match the color schemes of the blog owner, or author, or whatever we're being called today. And it should take up AD space, not even more of OUR space.
And make sure it's spelled correctly with commas in all the right spots.
Thank you.
~~ jennifer
From the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/22/AR2005112201648.html?referrer=emailarticlepg
Please explain to all of us how AOL could say they have received "several dozen complaints about the advertisements " . . . . does that mean that you and John are not actually feeding our complaints up the line, as you said you were?????????? I have seen far more than "several dozen" people complaining about the ads. Far more than "several dozen"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How does AOL think that saying only "several dozen" is an ethically correct answer to the Post's questions.
Virginia
7:15 AM: No disclaimer and a new ad that at first looks oh so friendly -- contribute $$ to the AIDS battle -- but it's really a drug company ad.
No change on the ads on my journal. I have one for "love@aol" right now and there is no disclaimer, no little blue bar, nothing. Sigh. I am not surprised though. How many billable hours did it take the powers that be to think of the "Ads are not an endorsement by the blog author" language? PHEW! Bet they really overtaxed their brains on that.
Lisa
No. I won't settle for a disclaimer. And I won't settle for your wording of said disclaimer either. It SHOULD read "The blog author does not condone AOL's use of advertisements that are placed on this blog."
Don't try and shift the blame to the advertisers. YOU GUYS put the ads there.
Ari
MY Journal will remain closed/private until the ads are removed.
Like I have said before, I pay for my service monthly since 1996.
And the service has not been satisfactory, They need to provide MAC computers with the same service as Window PCs....& trying to connect to AOL & staying connected, has been a problem for the past month. I should just discontinue with AOL, I also have Optimum online. I will still get IMs & Journals for free, why would I need AOL, the browser has issues too.
~Marie
my new journal
http://photographsmemoriestoo.blogspot.com/
look at that teeeeeeny tiny disclaimer................. hmmmm. Nope:):):) judi
Man I just hate to say it...Mediocrity...That is just suppose to pacify. Its not.
I do not, will not be a consumer to any of those companies that are advertised on my work.
I aint buying this AOL...nope.
I had a professional colleague pop in to witness the hoorah, and stated to me," You dont want XXXX stopping by and seeing that ad. He is a shareholder in one of their big competitors...PLUS his wife despise XXXX's wife."
Great.
Now I am going to judged by what AOL thinks is appropriate? PFFFFFFT
(not taking out on you Joe)
Joe....
Remember the old saying:
The Buck Stops here?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/22/AR2005112201648.html
What we really wanted was to be treated like the paying customers we are. With respect.
If I treated my customers the way AOL does I'd have to close my business right now. I know this isn't your fault but I do believe that more than a few dozen people are unhappy. Heck I can't even read the disclaimer it is so small.
This disclaimer is in no way adequate in 1. wording, 2. size and 3. solution... What part of "get your !@#$^% ads off my journal!" don't you understand...? This "fix" *might* have been acceptable the day after the ads went up, but it's far too little, too late for many people now... This is yet another attempt to placate paying customers without actually addressing the problem in any meaningful way... "S" or get off the pot, Joe...
But I understand now, after the Washington Post article, that not only does AOL have no problems lying to and placating *us*, they intend to do it across the board when it comes to this issue... "... Several dozen complaints"... I've seen far more than several dozen in the visible forums alone, so I can't imagine the e-mailed, phone-called, and snail mail complaints are *fewer*... Almost makes you wonder if the *entire* AOL staff is made up of compulsive liars (compelled, of course, by AOL and TW top brass)...
I also note from the same article that AOL has no *idea* how other blogging sites do business... Blogging sites that *do* place ads without options (ads you must have) do *not* place them on blogs that have been paid for... And one of *the* top blogging sites, Blogger, has no ads at all... They offer you the option to host ads after the fact via Ad Sense, which gives the blogger some control over said ads... But *no one* does what AOL has done - which is to ambush paid members with ads they have no control over or any way to "opt out" of...
I don't know how the top brass at your company got their jobs, Joe... Because they *really* have no clue how to run this outfit... Or *any* business, for that matter... Successful businesses *do not* treat paying customers as ad revenue or refuse to respond to customer concerns... Get a clue, AOL... how will you make money from your precious ads, when no one is left to see them...?
What a joke!
My sincere hope is that this is the first step in a groundswell of movement to make a significant statement about what's happened to our community. While I am by no means satisfied to have ads for disreputable companies on my journal (which I'm paying for, by the way), I'm just waiting until someone gets angry enough to sue. That might actually move some wheels.
Wouldn't it be interesting, though, to see a study of how much ad revenue is generated from journals? My guess is they haven't made much at all...but that is just a guess!
Dear Tech Folks who will be keeping an eye on the comments to this entry:
The disclaimer stinks. It's too small and not sufficiently worded.
The ads are horrible. HORRIBLE! I do not support or endorse the drug companies, Match.com, or any of the other companies you have placed in my PERSONAL, PAID "Your Thoughts. Your Blog." journal. MINE!!!!
What AOL has done to their paying customers is SO WRONG. I am convinced that all of you who work for/run/own AOL do not care about people, your customers who pay for a service that is now UNACCEPTABLE to us.
If I had the time and knowledge to move every one of my journal entries to another online host, you bet I would have done it by now. I'm still using my journals in AOL J-land because of that, and to keep in touch with my friends there.
Shame on you all. Again, I know you don't care. How pathetic.
In the previous comment, I did not intend to create a link to that matchmaking site, I'm sorry it created one when i typed the name of the stupid website.
I DO NOT SUPPORT THAT WEBSITE!!!!
:::sigh::: Joe. Joe. Joe. Does AOL not get it? The disclaimer has two problems. First it's not big or bold enough. Second it does not tell it like it is. Please, give us a break. We are not idiots.
h
Joe,
so sorry you have to deal with this, and that's all I'm saying!
h
just glanced have onion rings in oven real quickglance looks good guys will catch u ltr. must watch news soon let people know what i think tomrrow mwk
What a joke. The redesign still shows a HUGE banner ad. I do not want something like that at the top of my blog, disclaimer or no disclaimer.
I'm curious-- did anyone at AOL-Journals look at all the journalers who won peer-voted VIVI awards and count how many left AOL-J because of these ads? The answer is: A LOT.
--Albert, now at: http://AlbertsWorldofArtsyFun.blogspot.com/
Could the disclaimer font be any smaller?
I haven't had any trouble saving entries since I quit posting in my AOL J and moved over to Blogspot.
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