Trying to get back into Ciao but due to lack of sleep not sure how much i'll be about, just re-did m...
Trying to get back into Ciao but due to lack of sleep not sure how much i'll be about, just re-did my 'everything starts with a B' op, Mel x
Member since:30.12.2002
Reviews:78
Members who trust:74
Well, are you? Have you used AOL? You not listening to Joanna Lumley saying, ‘Welcome’ when you sign on or, ‘Goodbye’ when you leave? How about being pounced on as soon as you get online because you have a profile that happens to mention you are a female and single for cyber sex? Ok, so as you can guess I am no AOL virgin, in fact I had over 4 years of AOL under my belt before I left, working my way through such great versions as 2.5, 3.0, 4.0US, 4.0UK, 5.0, 6.0 and lastly 7.0). Why did I leave I hear you say? Well, a few reasons… I was hosting at the time on their shopping channel (Yes I was the official shopping host on AOL – UKHostSale although I am guessing you haven’t heard of me ) and due to differences I’d had enough, I wasn’t going to pay £15.99 for 56k dialup access (My AOL, was paid for me before for being a volunteer on there) and basically I quite fancied Broadband and BT wouldn’t do it at my house. So, I left and went over to Telewest Broadband (Ooo, I sense another Opinion being written at a latter date ). Back in the days when I was lass, ok not that long ago, back in 1997 when I joined AOL it was the best there is. The people were so friendly on there, hardly any cyber freaks (Dodgy people who don’t take no or any other profanity for an answer and just want you to have type written sex – yawns) and life was good. The facilities on there were fantastic
and everyone loved Hosts and Guides and respected COS (Conditions of Service, if you do have AOL and are unsure of them, please see Keyword : COS – god some habits die hard!). I’d go as far to say, I met some of the best people in my life that year, my bestest friend Kirsty (Waves to her), my daughter Charisma’s god parent Markie (Waves to him) and Dan (Who’s probably reading this OP and no it’s not you Dan916 ).
Advantages - See AOL does have some bonuses! Also, it had one of the user-friendliest interfaces there are. Most things work on ‘keywords’. You just press ‘Ctrl’ then the letter ‘K’ and bingo, up pops the keyword box. Just by putting in the correct keyword it would take you to where you wanted to go, whether it was Chat, Billing, News, Music, Kids (Another channel I worked on). The list is endless and to be honest, if you are new to the internet then I would probably advise you to use them as your first ISP. If however you aren’t new to it, know what you are doing or have a basic knowledge, then to be honest I’d probably tell you to go elsewhere. AOL was fantastic in the daytimes. It was easy to get online without getting constant engaged tones and having to connect with the 0845 paying number rather than using the free phone one. Also I think I should add them also off Broadband access now (Although, you go have to be within an enabled area for that with BT).
Disadvantages – Ok, their tech support leaves a lot to be desired as does (occasionally) their customer service department. Also, you do have to put up with some idiots on there who do IM you for cybering and don’t take no for an answer. Dial up access can be slow at peak times and chat rooms are a nightmare at peak times too.
Features – Keywords – As I have described before the keyword facility is fantastic. Unlike web searches this will take you to where you want to go within AOL. It’s easy to use and a very helpful part of AOL. Online access of Bill – This used to be very handy when you were charged per the minute. These days though with unlimited access it’s not as brilliant, still you can easily access it by going to Keyword : BILLING. Instant Messages – AOL was one of the first ISP’s to have instant messaging. It’s like chatting in ‘real time’. You have a little instant message window and chat with a friend. By clicking on your friends name on your Buddylist and then pressing ‘Ctrl’ then ‘I’ will bring up the IM chat box. Buddy lists – Here’s where you can add all your buddys and that way you know when they are online or offline. If they are online you can also see if they are in chat rooms and which ones and go to them chat rooms (As long as they are not full). You can set them so they are in groups, re-name the groups, delete people off your list and even create a PR, or private room as it’s known and invite your friends there. Another great feature. Up to 7 separate accounts – When I first joined AOL it was only 5 but back in 2000 they set it for 7 email accounts. So, members in your family can have their own screen names and this facility is very handy if you have children. You can set each name from the master account so that it has a certain level of access. So, children don’t see things they aren’t supposed too. To create a screen name, just go on to your Master account and press ‘Ctrl’ K and then type in ‘Names’. Names cannot be offensive and can be anything up to 16 characters long, so try and be inventive. Some of mine were pretty wild . Online Tech support – This can be reached at Keyword : TECH SUPPORT. You can talk in a chat room with a tech support representative and some of the time they will be able to solve your problems. Free phone Customer Services – As you can imagine queuing times can be terrible but with a free phone number this can be a lot easier on the phone bill. Newsgroups – Here’s where you can look at all sorts of news postings. Can’t say much about these as I didn’t look at them very often, but they are similar to message boards. Keyword : NEWSGROUPS will bring the list up. Chat – Probably the best or possibly the worst thing about AOL. The chat rooms are a great place to make friends, chat to people with the same interests as you. Possibly find love too, this is where I met my fiancé. Be careful about giving out information about yourself though, there are some sick people out there! You can access a full list of chat rooms at (Yes you’ve guessed it) Keyword : CHAT ROOMS. Great areas – The whole of AOL is split into areas. There’s pretty much everything and anything. Music was one of my favourites, and Games. I worked on Shopping so I am guessing I should mention that and the Kids Channels great for kids. Online community – AOL is like a great big family. Within areas you can make some great friends (As I’ve said before) and learn a few things too.
Conclusions – If you are new to the Internet and want a nice easy to use interface then this is the one for you. As most ISP’s charge the same amount these days you won’t really save anything or loose anything by going with AOL money wise. So, seeing as they offer free trials permanently why not give them a go, just go and grab a disc from somewhere (Dixons, Asda’s, go online to AOL’s site and download it) and get online with them!
Web address – Http://www.aol.co.uk
Contact them – To order latest software - 0800 279 1234 Customer Services - 0800 3765432 Emailing Billing Information - UKBillA@aol.com Emailing Technical Information - UKTeca@aol.com
Pricing – Flat rate access is £15.99. Broadband is £27.99
Availability – As long as you have a credit card you should be able to get an AOL account. Although I know they used to do direct debit accounts I’m not sure if they stopped this service and it’s something you would have to check with AOL customer service.
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The pricing section says, dial-up and broadband have 1 standard fee each, but there are now several different packages (just to let you know) which tend to go up in about £8 denominations - silver, gold, platinum packages
Hannah xxx
Advantages: Well...it IS convenient. Disadvantages: It has a price. Oh dear God, it has a price. How many times has AOL taken out my ENTIRE hard drive? Three, four...FIVE! *sighs*
Sarah_B 20.01.2002 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of AOL
Advantages: The service is too easy to get asnd too hard to get rid of. Disadvantages: Total and deliberate refusal to cancel contracts or rely to complaints.
wamaker 29.08.2005 (29.08.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of AOL
Jan 2nd, 2003
very helpful by (100%):
