Community Forums

eghershey · 08-05-2006, 12:40 PM

No this isn't a spam and I appologize for it looking like a spam message. I just read in the paper that AOL will become a free internet providor. They will recover more money than they lose because of advertizements in their free email service. This will certainly make them a major competitor to Yahoo and Juno and such. Lets see if it works out that way.
BTW, I'm not an AOL user, supporter, investor and I hate the way AOL can invade our computers. Just information.

eghershey · 08-05-2006, 12:40 PM

No this isn't a spam and I appologize for it looking like a spam message. I just read in the paper that AOL will become a free internet providor. They will recover more money than they lose because of advertizements in their free email service. This will certainly make them a major competitor to Yahoo and Juno and such. Lets see if it works out that way.
BTW, I'm not an AOL user, supporter, investor and I hate the way AOL can invade our computers. Just information.

Webster · 08-05-2006, 01:39 PM

I think that's free email, not internet service. Nobody offers free internet service, unless it's wifi at certain locations and even then it's not free to the business providing it.

Hitchhiker · 08-05-2006, 04:33 PM

I use AOL, heres a cut and paste of their announcement:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Important AOL Announcement
Changes Are Coming ...
More Choices and Flexibility for Our Members
AOL has always been an all-in-one online solution for our members: a way to connect to the Internet and an entertaining online destination once you're connected.

Now, some of the online services previously available only to members -- such as AOL® email and security features -- will be free to anyone who has his or her own Internet connection, including any dial-up, cable or DSL connection.

What will this mean for members like you? As long as you still need to connect to the Internet using AOL, nothing will change. You'll continue to get:

Reliable service 24/7 customer support Comprehensive safety and security protection Unlimited email storage, and more If you do at some point choose another provider for your Internet connection, you'll be able to keep your AOL email address and continue to use the AOL software and many of the features and content you've enjoyed as a member.

Sign up for an alert to be first to hear about some exciting new features we'll be announcing in September.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Tom N · 08-06-2006, 11:13 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Webster:
I think that's free email, not internet service. Nobody offers free internet service, unless it's wifi at certain locations and even then it's not free to the business providing it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Verizon Wireless offers free internet service if you have a Verizon Wireless voice cellphone plan. I've been using it for 4 years. Verizon Wireless is the ISP.

Tom

John Harrelson · 08-06-2006, 05:33 PM

There are several FREE ISPs out there that are as good as any pay ISP and ten million times better than AOL..

A couple of FREE ones are "YAHOO" and "GOOGLE"

I use Juno for $9.95 a month for totally
un-limited use 24/7/365..

But the reason I pay for it is because I have had the same email address every since JUNO went into business back in the early 1980's

and over 80,000 people from all over the world still send "John the cook" the occasional email.

In addition to JUNO, I also have a YAHOO and GOOGLE account that are totally free for both E-mail and web access..

So while I recommend JUNO above all other ISPs, there are some others that are almost as good.. but AOL is definitely NOT one of them..

John

Tom N · 08-06-2006, 05:46 PM

Yahoo and Google are free ISPs?? Are you confusing
a free email account with a fre ISP (Internet Service Provider)??

If not, give me the URL's for the free Yahoo and Google ISPs.

I don't think Yahoo and Google are Internet Service Providers.

Doris · 08-06-2006, 05:52 PM

AOL is now free..but you must have your own ISP. I've had it free for a while now, well before the announcement, since I have Road Runner, and Time Warner offered it to us. Because we have RR, the below won't affect us.

The big difference, although it won't really be anything new ot those who have had it awhile, is that they are laying off a lot of employees, especially in customer service. They have announced they will not offer customer service to those who are now getting it for free.

CD · 08-07-2006, 04:38 AM

I have never had AOL but about a month ago I got a new HP laptop. It had a bunch of "programs" already installed. A lot of them were tied to or from AOL. I had a hard time getting rid of them and deciding what they were. Just yesterday, another page (from HP) poped up offering internet connections, so I just looked to see what they were offering and it was AOL. I've had enough of AOL.

John Harrelson · 08-07-2006, 09:36 AM

Hi Tom,

All you have to do is download and install the Yahoo and/or Google emails programs..

Then bring up the email window where you normally read your mail..

For YAHOO look in the bar over the emails for a button that says "HOME".

Click on it and you will be carried to the internet. Where the click will carry you depends on what you have typed in the little window of the "Internet configuration page".

To get to that page simply RIGHT click on the Yahoo or Gmail icon on your desktop.. there you will see the place to type whatever destination you want to be your home page.

On my JUNO account I have typed in http://my.juno.com

On my Yahoo account, I have typed in http://my.yahoo.com

etc, etc, etc.......

Google is a little different... bring up your Google mail screen and look in the upper left corner for the small word "Google" and click on it... you will then see a screen saying do you want to make Google your home page....

Click yes and from then on, you will be carried to the Google home page...

best wishes,
John

Tom N · 08-07-2006, 12:19 PM

Hi John;

This has to be dialup. Give me the dialup number you use for GOOGLE as a free ISP and YAHOO as a free ISP.

Tom

John Harrelson · 08-07-2006, 03:47 PM

I don't have dial-up any more Tom.

I signed up for SBC/AT&T DSL service last week. It was advertised as $12.99 per month for a year.

They sent the equipment to me for free and if I stick it out for one year, the equipment is mine to keep, even if I drop the service after the one year contract ends.

Of course if I break the contract before the year is out, I have to return the equipment and also pay a $99 penalty.

AT&T/SBC gave me the email address of jtharrelson (at) sbcglobal (dot) com

Then, when I went to my Yahoo email, I was offered the option of "merging" that address into my Yahoo mailbox..

So now when people send me email they can send it to me at the SBC GLOBAL address or the Yahoo address ...
harrelson_jt (at) Yahoo (dot) com

Either of the addresses will deliver incoming email to my SBC GLOBAL mailbox.

NOTE:
I wrote the email addresses like that so a "mining cookie" (sometimes called a "Spider") could not find and carry my addresses back to automatic mining systems used by spammers)

I still have Juno as my primary ISP and email provider and I have a separate account with AT&T/SBC for a DSL phone line...

Plus I have Yahoo email with online access for free and the Google email address and online access for free..

The $12.99 monthly cost is included into my monthly landline phone bill that comes from AT&T/SBC.

So as you can see, I get Yahoo ISP for free.

As for the Google account, I simply signed up for the email account and from the email page I can go online.

Life is good, once you find your way around..

John

Tom N · 08-07-2006, 04:34 PM

So were is the free ISP?? You pay for SBC and SBC is your ISP. You need SBC to access Yahoo.

Doris · 08-07-2006, 05:22 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tom N:
So were is the free ISP?? You pay for SBC and SBC is your ISP. You need SBC to access Yahoo. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>It doesn't sound like there is a free ISP.
For instance, if I have a computer, and never signed on for a paying ISP, I could not get on aol. Last weekend, I was at a campground that offered wifi (for a price after 30 minutes). I was able to get on, however at the end of 30 minutes, I needed a code. So even though I have aol and road runner on that computer, I couldn't connect, without using an ISP. And unless I hooked up to my cell phone (which does offer a free ISP, but I use up my minutes, and it's slow as molasses), I had no way to get on AOL. In this case, I was using the campgrounds.