The AOL Community Info Blog

 

It's probably a coincidence, but after I created my new AIM Pages profile, I noticed a small upswing in "SPIM" (aka Spam in Instant Messages). So far, community participants have not written to report this phenomenon, because they tend to know how to manage it. But, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you about options you have available to minimize SPIM. 

 

Whether you are an AOL member or an AIM user, you have many features available to you to control your Instant Message experience. These options are available under the Setup button on your AOL Buddy List and, on AIM's Buddy List, under the Edit menu's Settings option.

 

 

*  General: Select the IM Catcher organizer to capture IMs from unknown senders. Then don't open any Instant Messages from people you don't know.

*  Privacy and Security:  There are many options from which to choose, including the ability to allow all who view your profile to contact you, allow only those whom you add to a list to contact you, or block everyone from contacting you. 

 

Help us help you.  Report SPIMers.  We have the technology; we need you to help supply the data for it to work effectively.

 

Keep us informed.  Are you noticing increased SPIM?  If so, try our suggestions, then tell us how they worked for you by commenting below.