AOL caught red-handed censoring email

[Nomad559]

http://www.fusepress.com/todddickerson/aol_caught_red_handed_censoring_email_now_the_public_knows_their_credibility_is_gone

AOL's paid 'certified email' service just got a little hotter.

On Thursday MoveOn.org (a petition group against AOL's possible plans to create an email tax), sent out its normal optin newsletter to its members, only all users with an aol.com email address had this message BLOCKED by AOL, WITHOUT even sending a message back with failure of delivery.

MoveOn.org sent out a notice to their subscribers about the events:

"AOL was caught red-handed censoring email, and now the public knows their credibility is gone," said Adam Green, a spokesperson for MoveOn.org Civic Action.

[Trillo]

1. I don't understand the reason behind paid email other than greed.

The "story" is that it will eliminate spam, or massively reduce it.

Yeah, right. USPS charges good money to send bulk-rate snailspam.

[raysr]

2. I don't understand why

ANYONE uses AOL!

[shanti]

4. AOHELL was played out a long time ago

it was my first isp.....back in 1997. however, as soon as i became a little computer savvy, i switched to an indy isp, about a year later. no reason at ALL to access the net thru aol!

[Warpy]

16. I did about the same

Went back during one of my trips to care for my parents for a free 2 months, canceled it as soon as I got home. Stopped by one of their pol rooms and nothing had changed in 7 years, same old people screaming the same old insults.

AOHELL is fine if you're not computer savvy and you don't want to become computer savvy and you want everything spoon fed to you.

The rest of us got real ISPs years ago.

[madeline_con]

3. I was told long ago that AOL sux. eom

[Gman]

5. There is absolutely no good reason to use AOL

AOL offers nothing you can't get somewhere else for half price or less. If you want dial-up, PeoplePC is one of the best deals out there. All the content you want is already out there for free on the Internet.

And I'm baffled why anyone would have a broadband connection and still use AOL.

[infogirl]

9. and all for half the price of dial up, I am on DSL

[NYC]

10. They get accustomed to it.

I told a friend that AOL was the worst rated by Consumer Reports. He bought the computer; he used AOL because it was on the computer.

Then, time went by, he wound up using Roadrunner Cable, but kept his AOL. When I asked him why, he said he wanted to keep the mailbox.

Some people are not adventurous, and stick with the first one, and AOL often presents itself as the first one because it comes on the computer.

I bought this computer about 2 weeks ago, and AOL was on it. I think that is how they get the customers.

[DemInDistress]

18. your right NYC my AOL came with my pruchase of a DELL

6 months free.I only know AOL now for 2 yrs. I have heard of others but was reluctant to change since
I often get into computer trouble and need tech help. I was tempted last year to change to another
company but when I read "live tech help 1.99$ per minute" I quickly nixed that idea. If I had more pc
skills I'd think of changing to a less invasive isp.

thanks

jimmy from the bronx.

[NYC]

20. Talk to your friends.

AOL does not have a good service record.

Until recently, Earthlink seemed fine at $21.95 a month for dial up, and any calls to customer service were free. They're still free, but they have outsourced to India. (I found that out when I made a phone call.)

I suspect most internet service providers have free help. Ask around.

Someone mentioned PeoplePC. I know nothing about it, except that it is supposed to be cheaper. Check on that while you're at it.

Don't sign up for anything that will charge you $2 a minute for help. Even if they offer free online help, online help is of no use if you can't get online.

You could also start a post at DU asking for recommendations. I have no complaints about Earthlink, except for their outsourcing.

[DemInDistress]

21. thanks NYC,,I'll look into those suggestions. also I will try to

fire rumsfeld in that war game.. I kept missing the target. I'll let you know if I was successful.

[NYC]

24. I don't know about the target, I just hit the dartboard.

I figured that was close enough. Just remember not to raise the dart too high. Perhaps that gives it more momentum.

Edit: Read the response someone posted about PeoplePC. Not good. Also, I hadn't realized there is a Computer Help forum on DU. Post in there, and ask what dial up (or other) people recommend. You should get plenty of responses.

[DemInDistress]

25. EXCELLENT

I didn't know DU had a computer forum. I just love this place DU. so many cool people..

thanks again..

[tkmorris]

23. NO to PeoplePC

Yes it is cheap and is a classic case of getting what you pay for. They are absolutely awful in my experience (second hand through acquaintances who have used it).

Roadrunner is decent, and Earthlink is actually very good, unless and until you have to deal with their gawd awful customer service. Their tech help has always been bad, and has gotten worse since they sent it to India, but they really ticked me off when my DSL modem up and died. They wanted me to purchase one from them at an exorbitant price, wait several weeks for it, AND commit to another year of service for the privilege. I said no thanks and switched to Bellsouth.

In any case there are literally dozens of superior options to AOL. DSLReports.com is a good place to start for broadband, or your local cable company. For dial-up options just pull out your local Yellow Pages, there will be tons listed. Pick a known entity and ask around on the net about their reputation. Posting in the Computer Help group here on DU will get you some answers about any specific carrier you might find. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=242

[bee]

12. 10 years with the same email address...

10 years worth of subscriptions! :banghead:

[LuCifer]

6. AOL *AND* YAHOO CAN BITE ME!

Ok, I noticed this approx. a year ago, I would email people who had aol emails from my yahoo account which I don't use anymore (it felt great to shitcan that sucker!) and NOT ONE WENT THROUGH. I'd get back mailer daemons from a DOZEN or so completely different people. I tried everything. I'd talk to them on the fone, and they'd say they have NOTHING in their inbox, so it wasn't a mail box quota issue. So all I can figure is AOL, being the good little obedient BU$Hitler trolls that they are, have a blacklist that doesn't let you sent anything to ANY aol address if you DARE to speak out on DUHbya.
But what's even weirder is, I got emails all the time from people who have aol address!
Anyone else ever had this happen?!
Oh yeah, and yahoo sucks with their "TYPE IN THIS STUPID CRAP YOU CAN'T READ SO WE CAN PRETEND LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO STOP SPAMMERS, MEANWHILE YOU HAVE 900 NEW SPAMS IN YOUR BULK FOLDER!" Yeah well fuku yahoo!

[CPMaz]

15. At least...

Yahoo! is free, so there can't be any complaints about overpaying for it.

I still use my Yahoo account as a first line spam filter - whenever I sign up for something online, I give my Yahoo addy. Better to get 100 spams a day in that account than in my home account, interfering with messages from family and friends.

[radwriter0555]

27. All the time, this happens to me. I have the exact same problems.

I have to use GMail to send to AOL recips.

[0007]

36. Yahoo is bad news.

[GregD]

7. VotersUnite has been battling this for a long time

We are constantly struggling with AOL to get opt-in mail delivered to AOL addresses.

They want reverse DNS, we do that. They want a feedback loop e-mail address established, we do that. They want us to apply for a whitelist, then they turn us down.

AOL is a nightmare. And don't even get me started on issues about how AOL's browser impacts application development. I freaking hate them.

[infogirl]

8. I got kicked off for the "rest of my life" they said...and

they will not give me my online files, or email addresses. I had to get all set up all over again...and I work on campaigns, so they made it difficult.

I am back up and running now...on another two servers....

and a new blog...back better than ever! Screw AOL. Everyone, especially dems, should get off of AOL. Set yourself up on outlook, so everything is on your hard drive and get a web service for away from your computer. Your own domain....$8.00 a year.

:rofl:

[NV Whino]

14. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[BlooInBloo]

11. oh DARN!!! And AOL was SOOOO good except for that ONE thing!

:sarcasm:


I didn't realize people still used AOL.

[bee]

13. Help from other move-on subscribers - Please!

I have not received an email from move-on since 04/12 titled 'Dont Nuke Iran'. Can anyone tell me how many emails Im missing?

edit: clarify question

[Atman]

17. My friend tried to switch to broadband, but kept AOL

I was dumbfounded. It's a matter of "familiarity" I think. He's had AOL since he first got his computer. After hearing the rest of us talk about the e-mails he was missing, the videos he couldn't see, etc, etc, etc, he finally decided maybe there was something to this "broadband" stuff, so he upgraded. Of course, the cable company didn't hold his hand, and he didn't realize his method of e-mail retrieval would change, and he hated it because they screwed up his phone lines too, and within two weeks he was back to AOL.



At AOL, no one gives a shit if you scream.

[Hissyspit]

19. AOL Sucks n/t

[Supersedeas]

43. Yep.

[Mythsaje]

22. I cut my teeth in the aol pagan chatrooms

back in the mid nineties.

I left AOL behind when I met my wife and haven't looked back since.

For a while the pagan teahouse was like the wild west...debates were done wild west fashion, with the winner being the one with the fastest punter.

I don't miss it.

[WePurrsevere]

33. Crossroads. :-) ...DH & I miss some of the people & there were some good..

discussions. We don't miss some of the "disruptions" though.. although even those could be interesting at times. ;)

I joined AOL as a Prodigy "refugee" (after also trying Delphi and GEnie) back in '93, DH was added on when we got together that same year. In it's early days AOL was actually pretty cool and we never had a major problem with the CS aspect. When his/my kids were young AOL was also easy and fairly safe. In the mid 90's we went to a BYOA plan ($9.95 mo) and mostly just used AOL for the established emails and some anon capability if we wanted but over the last few years we found we were using it for very little and now that they're free on the web it just didn't make sense to keep them anymore so when this last BS with the "pay to spam" and block issue came up with MoveOn.org we finally felt this would be a good time to cancel and make a statement at the same time so we told them that after 13 yrs with them we were NOT impressed with this "push", told them it was horribly hypocritical and said "goodbye". After that long being with them it felt good that we could leave while making a statement against something we both feel strongly about.

[Mythsaje]

35. Yeah, the Crossroads and the Circle (I think) were cool...

The Pagan Chats, anyway.

The Pagan Teahouse in the late '90s was a viper pit. :)

And yeah, some of the trolls were a kick in the pants. I had a lot of fun flaming them on occasion--typing 70 wpm in a chat room tends to make you VERY formidable. LOL

[WePurrsevere]

37. Yeah they were cool... The Teahouse was a bit wild for me usually...

Some of the trolls really were a hoot... and man but some sure were persistent. Ahh the memories... I used to pretty much lived in PC rooms, was a volunteer chat room mod for a bit and miss many of the other old time regulars. It was fun and I learned a lot about various pagan beliefs that I had never heard much about before not to mention how fast I really could type once I stopped thinking about the typing and let my fingers go. :D

AOL is not the same now. For me it's lost the "community" feel it had in the early and mid 90's.

Ah well... c'est la vie eh? MM, MP til MMA. :)

[Mythsaje]

38. You know, it took me a LONG time

to drop that MM and MP stuff. LOL

It's cool to run into an old Pagan Chat compadre here on DU.

[WePurrsevere]

39. Yeah... this is the first time I've used them in years but

as a fellow x-PCer I thought you might get a nostalgic smile from it. :)

Ah well... it truly has been nice to run into a fellow PCer and has brought a much needed smile to this majikal lady's face B-) although when I think about it I think that I'd have been more surprised to not run into someone from PC here since I knew quite a few that were politically active there (ex: Istook's RFA was a BIG fight back then).

TTFN...
~Dabbi

[Mythsaje]

40. I was opinionated, but not particularly active...

So much of my energy has always gone toward my writing. And the last several years have been a serious education for me, politically speaking.

I actually met quite a few of the PCers one fateful winter when I traveled back East. Spent New Years Eve of 98/99 in NY city with a few of them, and attended a party in Mass with a whole bunch. I don't remember many of the screen names anymore, believe it or not. But I enjoyed my visit.

[WePurrsevere]

41. You opinionated? Never ;-) I tend to be a bit myself. You should hear me

rant at the computer and in emails :D although I must admit I'm still working on the asbestos longjohns for the boards.

Having seen the way you write here I think it's wonderful that you are following that path and hope to get your book in the near future. :)

New Years Eve in NYC looks like a wild time from watching it on TV (craziest time I was ever down in the city there was for a huge Pro-Choice Rally.

It sounds like you would have known some of the same folks we did. We met a few from the New England area since they were close to where we used to live and we often went to Salem on day trips (that's where we were on 9-11.. talk about surreal). I don't remember many names but do remember a few that I became closer too. :-)

[Mythsaje]

42. Oh, we didn't even TRY to get to Time square...

We were about 20 blocks from there.

I barely remember some of the screen names people were using back then...only the more memorable ones. Bodicegoddess for example. It's hard to forget her. LOL

The whole trick with the books thing is promotion, really. We don't have the promotional power of the big publishing houses behind us, so we're picking up readers a few at a time. It's nice when a reviewer becomes a dedicated fan though. :D

[radwriter0555]

26. I can NEVER get email from AOL recips, nor can I send to any AOL users...

go figure. My emails always get kicked back.

[libnnc]

28. AOL is the devil

I got that demon off my back earlier this year, after being a "loyal" (lazy) customer for over 10 years.

[LaPera]

29. Anyone still using AOL deserves what they get...For many, many years

AOL has been pulling shit like this...yet people keep putting up with it and sending them money each month.

Supporting their local ISP where one has more input is the way to go instead of supporting a huge republican corporate conglomerate like AOL...

No excuse!

Shameless!!!

[Spirochete]

30. I've been weaning everyone I can

off of AOL for years now. I offer to set anyone up with the ISP of their choice without charging them, to get them off AOL. I've probably gotten 40-50 people to drop AOL so far - either by setting them up with something else, or just talking down AOL and suggesting they change.

[PurgedVoter]

31. AOL has been a negative influence since it's start.

During the early days of the net they have been a win-loose player. Friends don't let friends AOL!

[nonconformist]

32. Add that to the LONG list of reasons why AOL sucks donkey balls. nt

[whatelseisnew]

34. MAIN is a good option in N Carolina

http://www.wpvm.org/

MAIN celebrates 10th anniversary

Please post our flyer!

MAIN celebrates 10th anniversary with Feb. 22 open house, media talk

"It's Time for Media Reform!" is the topic of a public talk by Asheville media activist Wally Bowen at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22 in Pack Library's Lord Auditorium. The talk is free and open to the public.

Bowen is founder and executive director of the Mountain Area Information Network (MAIN), which is celebrating its 10th anniversary as the grassroots community network for western North Carolina.

One of the nation's oldest online community networks, MAIN is in the forefront of a national media reform movement aimed at reversing the 25-year trend of media consolidation, in order to create a more diverse and decentralized media befitting an advanced democracy.

"American media enjoy special protections and privileges due to their historic role as a 'watch-dog' against abuse of power," said Bowen. "But with consolidation of ownership, our media have become part of the power structure and have dramatically reduced their watch-dog role, putting our entire democracy at risk."

Bowen will outline goals of the bipartisan national media reform movement, which include:

* reducing corporate control of the public airwaves
* enlarging the non-commercial, independent media sector
* supporting corporate media workers who want to revive investigative 'watch-dog' journalism
* teaching media literacy in the K-12 classroom
* preserving an open Internet via 'network neutrality' protections
* expanding the availability of affordable high-speed Internet access.


MAIN began operations in 1996 as a local dial-up Internet service provider when citizens in many WNC communities had to call long-distance to reach the Internet. MAIN also provided the first public Internet access in 1996 at many WNC libraries.

Today, MAIN operates a low-power FM radio station, WPVM-103.5 FM, and offers broadband wireless Internet service in Mitchell, Yancey, Madison and Buncombe counties.

[porphyrian]

44. This may not be as big as it sounds.

I'm not really complaining, I don't have any good feelings for AOL, but this could just as likely be part of the "spam blocking" they advertise screening out all bulk email.