Why AOL?

Reba

Reba

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Why do people use AOL?

I have never used it, so I don't know much about it. All I know is AOL is always sending me CDs in the mail for "free" AOL, and that I hear a lot of people complain about their AOL service.

Are some people required to used AOL? If not, why do they use it and then complain? What does AOL offer that is special? Do only dial-up customers use AOL?

The older lady next-door to me uses AOL but she always complains about it. I asked her why she keeps it. She is afraid to drop it. She is afraid that AOL will do something bad to her computer if she cancels the service. She can't explain the reason to me. Is that why people keep it?
 
About two months ago, I moved to another location and I had no choice but to use AOL temporary until the cable guy came over to hook the services up. Thankfully, they had my account deactivated on Saturday with no charges! I didn't use the chat sites nor E-mailed to anyone from AOL. I had to put up with the dial-up which was pain in the butt!

From my observation over the years why many deaf people use AOL is because most of their friends are in the deaf chat sites (provided by AOL.)

Some professionals I know continue to use AOL only for the unique AOL E-mail addresses and instant message.

There is no way I will pay twenty-four dollars per month, for bulky AOL services!
 
Because it is 'America'? After all, it is America On-Line.

Seriously, I used to be a AOL subscriber only because where I used to live in, there is no cable or DSL providers... At that time, AOL is only one ISP provider in my local and I have no choice but signed up as AOL subscriber. That was when I lived in south state area so yeah, 'backwater' country.

Once I moved to different place (in same south state) and I finally end the contract and changed to Earthlink for a while then moved back to California and I got this marvelous internet technology -- cable.

Reba, according to few articles in computer magazines that AOL is great and easy for computer-illiterate people to install or configure.
 
From my own experience, had AOL for a several years, but not anymore. By the way, AOL can be rip-off money for account or order something from AOL. It has alot of memory use up in the computer cause more problems frequently. That's why, I don't like AOL. JMO.

Like you mentioned AOL mail out to people for a free trial AOL, same for me, I have been received probably every 6 months or so. I don't use them though.
 
I used to have AOL for 9 years. My dad signed me up for AOL in 1995. He had the master account and I was using an account under his. I used AOL on a Mac while using a 2.4K modem. Yep! Two point four! Anyway, it took me hours just to download a few pictures. Later, we got a new modem... 14.4K. It was a big improvement! By 1996, we had gotten a new PC for the family with Windows 95. It came with a 28.8K modem. That was even better. That was when I started chatting online more often. By 1997, I had already started using my screen name with AIM along with AOL. By 1999, I had started using AIM more since it gave me better features than AOL. The only problem with AOL that my dad had were billing issues. He had signed a contract allowing them to bill and put them on his credit card. Months later, his account would be frozen and they would say that he never paid his bill. He had to constantly remind them that they can take it from his credit card. This happened so often that we had earned almost 12 months of free AOL. In 1996, I created a webpage using AOL. A year later, I couldn't. It turned out that AOL had changed their webpage creating software. I had to download a whole new one and it would have taken hours to download it. So, fuck it. I changed my mind. That's when I started losing my liking for AOL.
 
I admit that my family uses AOL too over cable connection, but they don't understand that Internet Explorer is very bad, and I use AOL MAIL & IM only.
 
I use AOL Mail on M$ Outlook 2000, and I just showed my mom how I send/receive AOL Mail on Outlook, and she's computer-illiterlate... She was puzzled by asking me "That's AOL? I have no clue".
 
There's nothing special about AOL, IMO. I stopped using AOL in 2000 and switched over to cable modem ISP. AOL is just basically IM/e-mail/web in one application, that's basically what AOL is. I prefer to use stand alone e-mail, web, IM. There's lot more flexibility than AOL can do. AOL is a waste of my money also. :P

;) just my 2 cents.
 
I have had cable since 2001. Before that, I had dial-up with Dycon.com (it is now Ulanji.com). Even in my small Southern town there were several dial-up choices. We just picked the cheapest. They had a local office, so it was easy to get technical help when needed.

How much does AOL dial-up cost per month?
 
Brian said:
...There is no way I will pay twenty-four dollars per month, for bulky AOL services!
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Is that dial-up or cable price?
 
Reba said:
How much does AOL dial-up cost per month?
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In my time, it costs me approx $24... yep, it is quite pricey for merely dial-up service. Anyway according to Nas (she is still a AOL subscriber), it costs $19.95. It just got lower from $24 to $19.95 one week ago.

Reba said:
Is that dial-up or cable price?
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I believe it is Dial-up fee.
 
Magatsu said:
In my time, it costs me approx $24... yep, it is quite pricey for merely dial-up service. Anyway according to Nas (she is still a AOL subscriber), it costs $19.95. It just got lower from $24 to $19.95 one week ago.

I believe it is Dial-up fee.
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Wow, that is expensive for dial-up! That is almost the same price as cable.

My dial-up used to cost less than $10 per month.
 
Reba said:
How much does AOL dial-up cost per month?
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I am currently an AOL Member and I pay 23.95 per month. They do give me free montly rate off which like two months don't have to pay anything.
 
Reba, AOL is nothing more than a fancy bulletin board and is user-friendly; they have 10-12 million subscribers. We have 2 ISPs, AOL and SBC via DSL and because I am bringing my own access via SBC, AOL doesn't charge me for the access (local nbr for AOL) node. Therefore, my monthly cost for AOL is 14.95. Regular rate is, as Cheri said, 23.95. So I have 2 ISPs for the price of AOL alone and it works for us, no complaints.....but I am telling ya, AOL is huge, it's e-mail output on a daily basis is so huge that not one single U.S. post office anywhere delivers near what AOL does. They have rows upon rows of servers somewhere on the east coast that if they were to turn them (probably not possible to do but...) all on at the same time, lights would flicker from Maine to Florida! Hehehe
 
AOL is much improvement than it was before some of those who were an AOL member had 5.0, 6.0 or 7.0 now AOL has 9.0 with more features, such as virus set up in email, spams protection, super buddy icons (really nice ones). They also have checkup AOL system make sure your software is running properly and repair it for you, built-in security features and much more. I like the new version of 9.0 better than I had with 7.0. :mrgreen: I used to had a problem with my 9.0 AOL cuz I kept getting booted off, But AOL told me if you download the program off the website likely would get booted off If I downloaded it with a disk, then wouldn't have problems with getting booted off of AOL.
 
Thanks for the info. I am finally learning something. :)

Cheri said:
... now AOL has 9.0 with more features, such as virus set up in email, spams protection, super buddy icons (really nice ones). They also have checkup AOL system make sure your software is running properly and repair it for you, built-in security features and much more. ..
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Hmmm...I get all those same features with Roadrunner (except the icons). Do you get local support? I mean, if you have a problem can you get help from someone local (a real flesh & blood person), or do you only get long-distance phone help? I know when lightning fried our modem, the Roadrunner tech came to our house the next day, replaced the modem, no charge for the part or service. They gave us free tech advice on how to set up our wireless router, even though we didn't buy it from them.

Have you always had AOL? Or have you tried other services?
 
Tousi said:
Reba, AOL is nothing more than a fancy bulletin board and is user-friendly; they have 10-12 million subscribers. We have 2 ISPs, AOL and SBC via DSL and because I am bringing my own access via SBC, AOL doesn't charge me for the access (local nbr for AOL) node. Therefore, my monthly cost for AOL is 14.95. Regular rate is, as Cheri said, 23.95. So I have 2 ISPs for the price of AOL alone and it works for us, no complaints.....
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You say "us". Do you mean for your family, or do you mean you use it for personal and business? Is that more than one computer? Is there a limit to how many 'puters you can hook up?

...but I am telling ya, AOL is huge, it's e-mail output on a daily basis is so huge that not one single U.S. post office anywhere delivers near what AOL does.
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Does that mean AOL users are the most blah-blah chatterboxes? (just teasing!) ;)
 
Reba said:
Thanks for the info. I am finally learning something. :)


Hmmm...I get all those same features with Roadrunner (except the icons). Do you get local support? I mean, if you have a problem can you get help from someone local (a real flesh & blood person), or do you only get long-distance phone help? I know when lightning fried our modem, the Roadrunner tech came to our house the next day, replaced the modem, no charge for the part or service. They gave us free tech advice on how to set up our wireless router, even though we didn't buy it from them.

Have you always had AOL? Or have you tried other services?
Click to expand...

Good Question.....:)
I can contract the Tech. Dept. on line or call them at AOL, If it is related to their software, they run me step by step how to solve the problem, If it is not related to AOL Software, Then I would have to call someone local and pay for service charge for them to just come out and look, I have done that once, and the guy told me it was AOL Software, nothing wrong with my computer. I called AOL back with the update, They credit me the fee I paid for someone local to come down and look at my computer. Yes, I had AOL since I got this computer, My dad is the one who set me up with AOL and no I have not tried other service yet.
 
I never liked AOL, Aol kill alot of memory in your computer's ram.. also Alot of people use aol cuz it's much easier to use than netscape, or any of brand whatever they are using. but I wouldn't never download aol in my computer.. only way i get a internet is high speed internet cable and install firefox then you are setted!

That's way it will allow your computer have plently of memory.
 
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