A New Aim For Macs

AOL has released a brand new version of AIM for Macs through its beta website. No, this is not Aim 4.7 that was released several years ago, this is a brand new 2008 version that follows behind Aim 6 for Windows. Though this has been released a while ago, the  lack of advertising has Mac users still complaining about Aim 4.7.

Feature List

• Customize Aim icons, Wallpapers, and Emoticons, and Sounds
• Tabbed IMs just like Aim 6
• Aim Groups, Aim Blast, Aim Chats
• Aim File Transfer even while buddy is away
• Friendly/Nickname support
• Full Offline IM support

Feedback & Bugs

While this product is in beta, expect some bugs to appear. Background color for text may not show up. Offline IMs may appear twice. Generally users have been very happy with this release, so Mac users should try it out too if you dislike iChat or Adium.

Download Aim For Mac

Download is available at AOL Beta.

Offline IM Storage is Full AIM 6 Error Message

Some users have reported having a message pop up whenever they IM someone who is offline. This message states:

Offline IM Storage is Full

So far we know that this problem has to be fixed through AOL staff. Which unfortunately means you’ll have to wait your turn for your screen name to be fixed.  In case it has taken several days and your screen name has not been fixed we would like for you to test out the possible workaround below and post a comment below:

Access AIM Logging Settings

• Open AIM 6
• Click Edit > Click Settings
• Click IM Logging

The quickest way to work around this problem would be to click “Delete log files“. You may not want to lose every past conversation, instead you can delete certain screen name logs you no longer need.  Click within the address path where all the logs are stored, right click and press Select All, then press CTRL+C to Copy, you will now be able to go directly to that folder.

Access Logs Stored on Computer

• Open Windows Explorer
• In the Address Bar, press CTRL+V on your keyboard
• Press Enter to reach the folder

You can delete any screen name that appears there. This shall free up some space for your offline storage and will postpone the error message.

Goodbye AOL Journals, Hello Blogger!

AOL Journals has finally called it quits after 5 years. Through the years it went through a few rough spots, but managed to create a small dedicated user base whom enjoyed networking with their peers. On October 31st, 2008, AOL Journals will cease to exist. Leaving many of it’s dedicated following frustrated over it’s demise.

Migrate to Blogger

The next step for AOL Journals users is to migrate their account to Blogger. Interestingly, AOL has teamed up with Google to create a transfer tool to ease the process for you. Though, after you migrate your blog, I recommend exporting it to another platfom. If you need help on the import process, visit Blogger Help AOL Import.

A Brief History

When AOL Journals initially launched, it felt as though it was a replacement for AOL Hometown. AOL Hometown was a basic website generator, but was very limited, and used an overly annoying Java script application to run it. Instead of using AOL Hometown to describe oneself, AOL Journals was meant to serve as a blogging outlet for all members. AOL Journals could not manage gain much popularity among the main user base. This could be because it due to lack of advertising, for one there were no AOL Journals tabs in AOL Profiles, one of the highly viewed features on AOL.

To generate some buzz, The The Magic Smoke began as a blog that would feature other bloggers and provide up to date information regarding features, bugs, and outages. This blog expanded further  on community development, and lead to the creation of CoMET, which served as a guide for new and old AOL members.

Even AOL’s own developers joined the AOL Journals platform, where we could get a behind the scenes look on what to expect. Among the years AOL Jounals added some new features including tagging support, RSS feeds, and integration of “whitelisted” embeddable content such as Flickr slideshows.

Limited Features: A Brief History Part 2

Even with such features AOL Journals just could not gain a large grasp on AOL members. Sure many started their own journal, but abandoned it usually after the first post. The lack of customization was a huge deterrence. Though some customization through CSS was planned, it never really saw the light of day. Later on,  even AOL’s own development and community teams moved outside of AOL Journals and started their own websites. After AOL acquired BlogSmith, all major blogs began utilizing this platform.

Whats next in store for AOL?

Well all I can really speculate is Bebo. AOL did acquire them and we have yet to see what they are planning to do with it. We do know they will integrate AIM Profiles in some form. In addition, Bebo also has its own blogging platform.