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Friday, July 13, 2007
4:58:42 PM EDT
Feeling Happy
Hearing XL HitList Top 40 - AOL Radio
The Community Info Blog has Moved!
Hello,
everyone. I’d like to share some important news about this blog (and a few others). We’ve moved!
I’d like to introduce you to the new Community Info Blog!
I'll be talking about the same tips, tricks, tutorials, help and
product updates that I've been doing here -- it's just at a new
address.
The Community Info Blog is part of a bigger blog, the Social Media Blog.
The best part
about this is that we've got multiple blogs combined into one,
providing a lot of useful (or interesting) information for you.
On the main page of the Social Media Blog, you'll see five categories on the left sidebar. To get to the Community Info Blog, just click on the link in the left sidebar:
 Links to other sub-blogs in the Social Media Blog.
You'll also hear from Nancie as she talks more in-depth about the community management side of things. And you can navigate to the other blogs, too.
Let's go over few top questions you might ask.
What's different?
- Easy to remember URL for finding our blog (http://socialmedia.aim.com).
- 5 separate blogs in one URL. We've
got five different blogs going on at once. From the main page you can
see the entries from all five blogs, or if you are interested in one specific
blog (like this one) just click directly to it on the left sidebar. That way, you can see just what you're interested in.
- Multiple authors
allow more voices on a variety of topics. We've got different people
who are product managers, programmers, developers and more who have
something to say. It's group blogging at its finest.
- Comments
allow anyone to leave a comment as long as they enter a valid e-mail
address and confirm it. Plus, you can get an e-mail notification when
someone replies to your comment.
What other changes are happening?
With more bloggers posting, we should be able to post more often, and provide different viewpoints from team members.
I’d
like to point out that you won’t be alerted via the AOL Alerts on the
Social Media Blog (for now). Good news though: you can still get e-mail notifications for new entries, by
subscribing to the e-mail updates.
For
the interim, this blog will stay intact to
serve as an archive for entries. To prevent any untracked
comments; I will be shutting off comments here shortly. You can still
share your comments on the new blog or by dropping me an e-mail at JosephVManna@aol.com. If you know of any really helpful
entries in the past, let me know and I'll copy them over.
What are you thoughts? Come over and visit the new Community Info Blog and share your thoughts on the new design.
Written by communityeditor
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Friday, July 6, 2007
1:31:29 PM EDT
Feeling Happy
Hearing Pop Remixes - AOL Radio
Getting Help from AOL
Sometimes
we all need help online whether it's finding something or fixing
something. Well, if it involves AOL or AIM, look no further, here's
several helpful areas across the service.
 I'd like to remind folks that if you pay for your AOL service, you can contact Member Services for help anytime. You might recall that one of perks for being a paid member is the 24/7 customer support. If you are on free AOL or have an AIM account, there's help available for you, too. You can browse AOL Help for helpful articles to answer your questions. All you need to remember is help.aol.com and you will get to the right place. Maybe
browsing and searching for articles isn't your thing. We have many
message boards that you can post questions, share feedback, and trade
tips about multiple products with other members. Here's some boards
that are here to help you:
- AOL
- AIM
- AOL Mail
- Community Products
Those
boards should prove helpful in your search for answers for AOL or AIM
questions. There are plenty of knowledgeable people who volunteer their
time to help each other.
On
a side note – if you have difficulty accessing AOL Help, there's a
ticket on it that is being investigated at this time. More information
is available in this thread. Finally, have a good weekend!
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Thursday, July 5, 2007
11:57:15 AM EDT
Feeling Happy
Hearing None
How I Spent My Independence Day (plus a Video)!
Hi, folks. I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday. This work week is kind of awkward with many folks seizing this week for their vacation. Me, on the otherhand, I'm still here.
Last night, I went to the fireworks show at our nation's capital. After a little rain, everyone entered into the national mall and was entertained by the US Navy Band, and then proceeded into an awesome fireworks display.
The video below is a clip of the finale. I used the video feature on my digital camera and it actually came out well.
You can upload your videos at UnCut Video, too. If you uploaded a video, leave a comment below and I'll feature it.
'Til then, if you're working this week, things might go a little slower; otherwise, have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.
Tags: July 4th, 2007, Washington, DC, Fireworks, Video
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Monday, July 2, 2007
2:48:27 PM EDT
Feeling Happy
Hearing All Korn - AOL Radio
Interesting Stuff: AIM, AOL, Community and Much More
Hi, folks. I hope everyone had a pleasant weekend. I just want to take
moment to highlight some interesting stuff that's happening inside the
AOL Blogosphere. From AIM plugins to Web Mail updates, there's plenty
to catch up on.
AIM
AOL Mail
Community
More AOL Products ...
I
know I went overboard with the links today, I just wanted to share the
many interesting things happening around here that I couldn't get a
chance to cover earlier. Share your feedback in the comments below.
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Friday, June 29, 2007
5:18:59 PM EDT
Feeling Happy
Hearing All Metallica - AOL Radio
Message Boards Update: Signing in Using E-Mail Addresses as Screen Names
Good news, folks. The AOL Message Boards
were updated today with a
couple of changes. First, people can now participate in the boards by
signing up using their e-mail address as a screen name (more on this in
a moment.) Second, there's a change in how screen names are displayed
on the boards.
Using an E-Mail Address as a Screen Name
Now,
you can register for an account using your e-mail address as a screen
name. (If my e-mail address is JosephManna@example.com, my screen name
will be JosephManna@example.com). After you create your account, you'll be able to read and post to the message boards (as well as create an AOL Journal and do other things on AOL).
You can use your e-mail address to create a screen name by going over to AIM.com:
 From AIM.com, under the Services menu, click Get a Screen Name.
Select "Use an existing e-mail address ..." and click Continue to complete registration.
:
 Example of a truncated screen name on AOL Message Boards.
If
you place your cursor over the abbreviated name, you'll see what the
full screen name is. If the person is using their e-mail address as
their screen name, you'll see their e-mail address.
Since AOL or
AIM screen names can be up to 16 characters long, the boards team is
looking in to how they can keep these from getting shortened.
And
just to be clear, people using their e-mail addresses as screen names
are treated just like everybody else on the boards: they have to follow
the same rules; you can ignore and filter users the same way as before; and if you find that someone is violating TOS, you can report the post to the Community Action Team the same way -- by clicking the Notify AOL link on their message.
If you have any questions on these changes, feel free to let us know in the comments.
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Wednesday, June 27, 2007
6:37:38 PM EDT
Feeling Happy
Hearing Rock Cover Songs - AOL Radio
Where Did the AOL News Boards Go?
 Hi, folks. Thanks for being clear
about the community offering options you would like to have in
the new and redesigned AOL News.
Here's an update.
Message boards aren’t going away, and we're working
with the News team to find ways to make them easier to find and navigate.
There
are three ways you can access your favorite News Message Boards. The first is by clicking the link
along the left side of a news story. It's below the Blog Chatter
section.
Illustrated below is where you can also find the link when reading a news story.
AOL News Message Boards are linked on the left side of a news article.
The second method is to go to the People Connection Message Boards page. On the bottom right of the screen, you'll find the People
Connection search box. Enter the name of your board or other search terms
related to the board you would like to find.
A third method is, of course, to use the message board search function in
another board you frequent. Or to use this link: Message Board Search to access it directly.
Again, I want to assure everyone that the News boards
are not going away.
Nancie and the News team are working together on
the best and quickest ways to meet the News Community's requests since the
redesign.
Thank you for the
feedback you've provided. For now, please be patient, as we work this out.
We will keep you posted on any updates. If you have any suggestions for AOL
News, send your feedback to Newsroom1@aol.com. Otherwise, check back here for
latest on these issues and to give us your comments.Written by communityeditor
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Tuesday, June 26, 2007
12:46:21 PM EDT
Feeling Happy
Hearing All Korn - AOL Radio
AOL News Gets a New Look
[ Update 6/27 6:37PM ] For an update on the AOL News Message Boards, check out our next entry Where Did the AOL News Boards Go?
--
Many of you have noticed that AOL News has a new look. They introduced a standardized "980-grid" (980 pixels wide) which basically means larger
photos in the main stories and more content "above the fold" (in the first view of the screen).
They've got many new features that improves the experience -- whether you're a
novice or a veteran of AOL News.
Pictured to the right is a screen shot of what the page looks like. It's packed
with tons of news and feeds so you can stay up to date on
current news.
Here's some new features:
- Blog Chatter, which is a tag cloud that lets you visualize what bloggers are talking about.
- 'Most Popular' and 'Most Commented' stories on the left side so you can see what other people are checking out.
- User-Submitted News where you can write the news yourself on our sister site, Netscape.
- News Bloggers shows the latest entries from AOL News' featured bloggers, including Mo Rocca.
- Updated feeds the show top headlines from a wide variety of news Web sites.
There's
plenty of new features (and more on the way), so look out for new
things and have fun and try them out. They have a page that explains the new features so you can better understand it.
What do you think of the update to AOL News? Share your thoughts in the comments or send an e-mail to the team directly at newsroom1@aol.com.
Tags:
AOL, AOL News, News, Web, Design, Feeds, Netscape
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Monday, June 25, 2007
5:33:15 PM EDT
Feeling Happy
Hearing Don McLean - American Pie
Four Tips to Minimize Community Disruption
I think the best quality about community is the
ability to peacefully discuss a topic and gain perspective on
a topic. Sometimes within a community, conflict might occur. I've got four simple tips on how
you can minimize the effects of someone's trouble.
Most problematic participants seek attention. If you don't give it to them, that will minimize their impact.
- Discuss the topic with civility.
When everyone remains generally on-topic, that will keep the thread
alive and productive. Discussing the merit of a specific topic and not
personal insults is one of the best ways to keep things productive.
- Don't feed the trolls.
A "troll" is a term that describes a user who is merely trying to upset
the community and get a reaction. One of the most effective ways to make one stop is not
to respond. If a troll is not fed, they will go elsewhere.
- Use the tools available to manage your experience.
The Internet itself allows for a free-flowing exchange of information.
Not everyone will always agree with what you say. We have tools for you
to use to manage your online experience. If you have a problem with
someone, you can ignore them. You can ignore a participant on AOL
Message Boards by clicking "Ignore Author" next to their screen name.
- Respect.
You might disagree with someone on a topic, but understand that there
will be differing perspectives. You may not like what someone says, but
please stay to the topic and respectfully debate (such as refraining
from any personal attacks against others). The result of this is a much richer discussion.
In
the above tips, the
common characteristic is a shared responsibility with other
participants. While you might not have
caused a disruption, you can do your part by not responding to it. The
strength of various communities has the ability to conquer the bad
apples, all it takes a little effort from everyone.
Please understand that we can't be everywhere all the time within our community, but
we do our best. We're here to help you, if you encounter any disruptive
activity, let us know by dropping us an anonymous tip at AOLPeopleMGR@aol.com so we can help clean things up.
What questions or tips you have to keep your community strong and fun? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Tuesday, June 19, 2007
5:13:26 PM EDT
Feeling Happy
Hearing Metallica - Of Wolf And Man
Updates about Boards, AOL.com and AOL Help
Hi, folks. I've got a few things to talk about such as Message Boards, a new AOL Blog, and some good news about AOL Help.
The AOL Message Boards might be
acting a little funky. If you experience an unusual delay when posting
messages, quoting messages, searching, or anything else -- drop a note
in the comments and we'll research them. Please include some details so
we can adequately research it. Although, it appears OK for me, I want
to ensure that they are working well for you.
I'd like to help welcome a new blog that's focused on the upcoming AOL.com homepage. Lisa and team are blogging at the AOL Homepage Blog to tell you the latest news and answer to your questions about the changes and updates to AOL.com. I know many of you will agree that one of the coolest features is the new color themes. Participate in the discussion and get your voice heard. Check out the AOL Homepage Blog today!
Some good news from the folks who run the AOL Support Portal
(AOL Help) -- they've updated the troubleshooting steps in hundreds of help articles. The updated articles are the ones that
85% of visitors access when seeking help. This small (but significant)
change is an example of how they are improving the member experience.
You can check it out at AOL Keyword: Help (help.aol.com). Psst
-- they are also putting together some very helpful changes to improve
the help area for everyone looking for help. Stay tuned.
Other than that, I've been busy with various "office" tasks that
unfortunately don't involve blogging. I'm interested in learning more
about what you want to know. Last week, you wanted to know about how to make your own buddy icons and I shared how. I know you've got questions, let us know in the comments.
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Monday, June 18, 2007
10:51:07 AM EDT
Feeling Happy
Hearing 90s Alternative - AOL Radio
Popular Internet Acronyms
 Hi, folks. Whether you've had an Instant Message conversation or joined a Chat, you've probably seen various acronyms and abbreviated terms. I'm interested in learning which ones you use online.
Acronyms aren't just for kids. Everyone is using them to communicate complete thoughts in four letters or less (not those four letters). Here's a brief list of popular internet acronyms that you can use today.
- LOL - Laugh Out Loud
- BRB - Be Right Back
- CUL8R - See You Later
- IMO - In My Opinion
- HTH - Here To Help
- WTH - What The Heck
- AFAIK - As Far As I Know
- IIRC - If I Recall Correctly
- OMG - Oh My God!
- AFK - Away From Keyboard
- ROFL - Rolling On The Floor Laughing
- YT? - You There?
There are many more Three Letter Acronyms (TLAs) that you can use when you talk to your buddies online. You can learn what new acronyms mean by the use of the Acronyma, a free search engine just for acronyms.
What favorite acronyms do you use? Share your favorites in the comments!
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