Recently, one of my cow-orkers created a private Journal as a forum for family and close friends to communicate news and updates about an ongoing situation.
He ran into one problem, where a few people didn't have AOL or AIM screen names and didn't want to sign up for them (you need to have a screen name to get added to someone's private Journal roster), so they couldn't read the blog.
These refuseniks were reluctant to sign up for a free AIM screen name (you just have to go to the AIM.com Web site -- you don't even have to download anything), because they weren't sure that unspecified vile and nefarious things wouldn't happen to them.
(Even if they were to get a free screen name, it's still kind of inconvenient, because they have to create the screen name, then send it to you [the private Journal owner], so you can to add it to your private Journals' roster, before they can read your private Journal.)
We figured out a workaround, though, if you're willing to live with a few very important tradeoffs:
1. You, as the private Journal owner, just create an AIM screen name of your own (for example, the name of your blog, or something else that will be easy for them to remember)As I said, though, there are a few important tradeoffs:
2. Add that screen name to your private Journal's roster
3. Send that screen name and that screen name's password (of course, you want that password to be completely different from your other passwords) to the folks you want to be able to read your private Journal.
* Very, Very Important: You have to trust that the people that you share the screen name with won't abuse it -- like by using it to send harassing IMs or AIM Mail e-mails -- because you registered for the screen name, you're ultimately on the hook for it.
So I definitely wouldn't recommend doing this except for your close friends and family -- people you know and trust.
* Comments that people leave will all be from that screen name, so they'll have tobe sure to "sign" their comments so people will know who's talking.
* Since they'll all be sharing the same account, they won't be able to get Alerts when new entries are posted.
There shouldn't be any problem with multiple people using the same screen name to view the Private Journal.
I'm working with the Journals team to figure out a better way to let people without Screen Names read your private Journal, but this workaround should help in the meantime.
Thanks -- Joe
10 comments:
Sorry Joe not doing that :). I do not share passwords with anyone.
Betty
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Hi...actually, as long as they're just using the screen name to access the blog (and not trying to sign on to the AIM client), there shouldn't be any problem with simultaneous readers of a private Journal with the same screen name. Thanks -- Joe
That makes my brain hurt, Joe. Couldn't you have just said that it's because AOL has a staff of highly-trained magic gnomes to make these things possible?
Hi, Joe. Thanks. I've been thinking about how to give someone access to my private journal, and I had been wondering about creating another screen name, then giving it to them... I hadn't thought about the password, so now I know what to do. Appreciate the thumbs up. Bea
Not sure if this will help anyone, but this is what I do for non-AOL'ers: I have a guestbook for those who don't have an AOL screen name to sign and leave any comments they wish. I then linked the guestbook in the All About Me section. That way they can still leave a comment and won't have to sign up for anything new if they don't want to.
~ Susan
http://journals.aol.com/njmom72/InMyLife
You've got to be kidding! I'm not doing that. Nope. Never!
Judith
Excellent idea
That is ridiculous. AOL has been around for so long but they seem to be the most behind with things. Sadly enough, its been 2006 and AOL still has not figured out a way to let those who do not have AOL read private journals.
RE: I'm working with the Journals team to figure out a better way to let people without Screen Names read your private Journal, but this workaround should help in the meantime.
Well, it's about time that AOL moved forward in this regard. As paying members of AOL, we should already provide competition to MySpace for highly-stylized web pages as well.
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