Because I started out blogging on AOL Journals, I have a lot of AOL readers. All of us former J-landers know, sadly, that AOL has been doing a strip-tease for the past few months: They dropped journals and then the pictures and videos stored on AOL.
Judging from THIS ITEM, I'd say we might want to have an alternate email just in case. This could get tricky for me, because AOL has served as my main email provider since I had my first computer.
I do have a gmail account (that I don't really care for), and a Yahoo addy I use quite a bit. Guess I'll be switching everything over before long, just in case AOL email ends.
I have the same fears for my original blog site. The service has been dying a slow death for a couple of years now, which is sad because when I first began blogging there it was a thriving, vibrant community. I dunno what happened, really. I keep telling myself I'm either going to transfer my favorite entries to my Blogspot blog or make paper copies of them in case the whole thing does disappear but I can't seem to get past thinking about it for the most part, tho I have been randomly and oh-so-slowly transferring some of them. I have had SO many issues with friends/family thru my computer years who have AOL as their mail server. I can't begin to tell you how much of my mail to them has never gotten thru and vice versa. For being one of the 'pioneers' of email, you'd think they would've worked out some of those bugs years ago.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you get an email address with your ISP? embarqmail.com? Then you could use outlook. Oh wait, you don't use outlook. Never mind.
ReplyDeleteSigh! I'm like you, I've had an AOL e-mail since the early 90's, and it is the address practically -everyone- has. Still, I have a gmail account set up that I've slowly been migrating too. I also have a hotmail and yahoo, but I find I like gmail the best because it links up well with my igoogle page. They've also done some recent changes on the gmail itself tat, in my opinion, improved it. You might want to give it another look...
ReplyDeleteAll that said, if they close AOL Mail it will be a pain. I haven't backed up my contacts over there in a while... I think maybe I will, just in case..... grrrrrr!
I predict by the end of 2009 AOL will be no more. I've slowly been clearing my stuff off of there. I need to close down one more email and that's it for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder though. I need to get it finished.
I think you are right on with this! It's sad...I've used AOL for years too. Recently I created a gmail email address just for blogging. We might as well get ready for anything that may happen with AOL. Blessings, Lisa
ReplyDeleteI just read a thumbnail interview in Time I think it was with Ted Turner who said that when AOL merged with his company he started losing money big time, and has now lost a great deal of his fortune? What was he trying to say?? So maybe those are right who think AOL od maybe in big trouble as a company, not that they have not been before but this time for real. I, too, have had an aol e-mail for a long time but have mostly transferred all the addresses I use to my gmail account to go along with my blogspot. Gerry
ReplyDeleteYou have expressed my sentiments exactly. AOL has done so many recent stripteases that they are naked - and it isn't pretty to look at! I, too, have had my AOL email account ever since I had my first computer (about 6 or 7 years) I also have a gmail account and never use it because I don't like it.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking it was inevitable...AOL thanks a lot! I have the tommygirL971@gmail for blogger, it's an old email that I had to reopen and I have a yahoo that is the same as my AOL. Surely we'll have to identify this at one point or another.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking the same thing... I guess I will have to slowly migrate everything just in case. Sigh, I've had this email since I started on my computer.
ReplyDeleteLisa
I prefer AOL email to all others, but I have a Gmail and a Yahoo account. (I think I have one through our cable/internet provider, too, but I never use it.) I've been using my Yahoo account for years for a reading group I belong to.
ReplyDelete