Thursday, December 1, 2005

Thursday Status Update

Hi folks -- welcome to December. In her blog, In the Know, Journals Product Manager Susan has an update on an install that's going to happen tomorrow morning that should finally fix the charset issue and keep scooters from flying over your Journal entries again. Check it out for details.

Thanks -- Joe

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good, because I was doing OK with the ads... but that scooter was AWFUL!

Anonymous said...

Yeah right...YAWN.....

Globetrotter

http://insidethegildedcage.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

now the ads need to go. judi

Anonymous said...

Joe, I was looking at Musings today from outside AOL when I actually got a popup over my blog content. :(  It was for a survey.  Hoping against hope it was a survey about how much I hate ads on the journals, I clicked on it.

It proceeded to ask questions about different credit cards.  One of the questions asked whether I had seen a credit card banner ad for My Wishlist (which I think was the one with the scooter in it), and if so, whether I remembered what credit card it was.  Well, I saw the ad, but I don't even know what credit card was being advertised.  And if I had noticed, I would be tempted to cut the card up.

And no, nowhere in this survey about credit card ads was there any place to register my negative reaction to banner ads and flash ads.

Of course not.  What was I thinking?

I'm not blaming you, Joe, but really, it seems as though AOL has an endless supply of unpleasant surprises with which to annoy me.

Karen

Anonymous said...

I am so depressed.  I missed the scooter.  

Anonymous said...

Uh, I don't think anyone is going to go over to Susan's blog anytime soon.  She's not on anyone's list of favorites right now....go take a look if you don't know what I'm referring to.

Chris
http://itsallaboutmeithing.blogspot.com  ...the ad-free place

Anonymous said...

I think your Susanbot malfunctioned. Is there going to be an update on a new install on her?

In all seriousness, why is it that one ad can be pulled but not all of them? They are ALL annoying and they ALL interupt the reading of a journal.

Ari

Anonymous said...

Awwww, no scooter?

http://deabvt.blogspot.com/
V

Anonymous said...

Hey Joe... your's almost matches :)   hehe                        
                       hows that for a little  'Susan'  humor??

This is my last day as a bonified subscriber to AOL so I might as well get my opinions out there.  I guess after today I will have to sign in with my *FREE* AIM account to weigh in on AOL's lack of customer respect and total disregard of customer relations.

How about giving us the names/numbers/email addresses for the talking heads that you, John, Susan etc are supposedly getting back to?  I think if we cut out the middle man and go to the source, at least I would know that I'm being heard.  As it is, there is absolutely no evidence that any of us have been heard by AOL.  You never know...  now that I am no longer an AOL door mat, I might have a suggestion or two for them on how to take advantage of their customers even more.  
Please Joe, Please :(  
For my Christmas wish this year, just one email address to one AOL executive...

Auntie Lyn formerly of lynda's lullaby

Anonymous said...

Never mind.  I got to see the scooter a little while ago --driving right smack into the middle of Susan's journal.

Maybe we should all be grateful to AOL.  This episode has certainly given me a chance to reflect on my writing, on why I do it, on the commericalism of our culture, on what I notice and what I don't.  

At approximately this moment,
my blog is advertising a credit reporting service;
beliefnet.com is advertising Extreme Makeover;
my AOL Main Page is advertising a Kohl's sale;
CNN is advertising Colorade Technical University. . .

Yes, it's everywhere.

One of my friends emailed me and asked why I don't just ignore the ads, as she does all ads.  The truth is, I do mostly ignore ads.   I don't usually watch tv commericals or listen to radio advertising or notice it in print (except to note that NYT Sunday Magazine articles on places like Darfur are almost alweays preceded by several pages of advertising for fur coats and watches that almost none of its readers, let alone anyone in Darfur, could afford).  I could describe exactly one as for you right now -- the Coke holiday tv commerical with the polar bears and penguins.  I do love those Coke polar bears.

But that doesn't mean I want them on my blog (my thoughts).

I think this is my last commentary on the whole fiasco.  It's obvious that Joe, John, the Abstractioneer guy, and Susan are all nice people.  (Yeah, give Susan a break, people.)  But probably most of us have worked for employers who've done things we didn't like and we all know just how much influence we had in those circumstances.  

It's clear that AOL didn't know what a great thing it had created, that it doesn't know now, and that it doesn't care to know.  That's fine.  I should be doing other things with my writing and photography than giving them away to a corporation with neither face nor heart.  

I'll sti

Anonymous said...

the scooter is still flying everywhere......... and the ads are still there. AOL can get their garbage off my journal now.
judi

Anonymous said...

Joe, I really thought AOL would have done the right thing with the Ads on our Journals.
It appears they have no intention on correcting their mistake & remove their ads off of our paid service.  I am considering canceling my account.  Will have to discuss it with my kids, because they are the only reason I am still here. I could cancel & get free IMs & JOurnals for nothing!  AOL & MACs do not seem to work well together, I use firefox browser anyway along with Optonline/cable service, SO I DO NOT NEED AOL.   I have made all my webpages private & they will remain that way.  It might be a small percent that have canceled accounts so far, but I think AOL will have to rethink this problem, because I do not think it will gain more customers this way.
Marie
http://photographsmemoriestoo.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

It's Friday. Why aren't the editor's picks up? And why have they been moved?

Ari

Anonymous said...

Hi -- Guest Editor's picks are on the way: They'll be up a little later this afternoon. Thanks -- Joe

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

The emperor has no clothes.  

--Albert
now at: http://AlbertsWorldofArtsyFun.blogspot.com