The AOL Community Info Blog

The Community Info Blog has Moved!

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 20:58:42 GMT

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.

Tags: Social Media Blog, Moving, Community Info, Community, Blog, Blogging

Getting Help from AOL

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 17:31:29 GMT

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!

Tags: AOL, Help, Support, Questions, AIM, Products, Message Boards

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How I Spent My Independence Day (plus a Video)!

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:57:15 GMT

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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Interesting Stuff: AIM, AOL, Community and Much More

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:48:27 GMT

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

A ninja infiltrated the AIM SuperBuddy Library! You can show off your agile ninja skills via the new AIM Expression.
Gus Verdun, wants your help to build a plugin so you can do even more with AIM.
AIM 6.2 is in Beta and has more features and optimizations.

AOL Mail

~~Coming soon,~~ Currently in Beta, AIM will be embedded into AOL Web Mail, making it easier to stay connected to your buddies online. Correction: BetaJosh informed me that AIM is accessible in the AOL Web Mail Beta. Thanks, Josh.
If you're having trouble accessing your AOL Web Mail, Tae updated an older entry to address some difficulties you might have with AOL Mail and tips to fix them -- for good.
iPhone users can integrate AOL Mail with the iPhone easily, at no additional cost.

Community

Some of you have noticed that the Red Pill is named Celebrity Gossip. This is to help visitors better understand what the Red Pill offers.
Many folks have noticed the updated AOL News site and I provided some details in regards to the News Message Boards.
Co-worker Joe shows how to upload videos to your blog and some details on the latest Journals updates.

More AOL Products ...

AOL Pictures wants to know what is one feature you desire in AOL Pictures?
AOL Radio launched five new stations recently. Also, they provided clear instructions for Windows Vista users, on how to make AOL Radio rock.
myAOL has a lot of awesome features coming soon, Frank Gruber shares a glimpse of what to expect.
Userplane put up an excellent video-tutorial on adding a video blog (vlog) entry.

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.

Tags: AOL, AIM, Web Suite, Community, Pictures, Radio, myAOL, Userplane, Info

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Message Boards Update: Signing in Using E-Mail Addresses as Screen Names

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 21:18:59 GMT

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.

The other change in the Message Boards is that displayed author screen names are shortened after 12 characters. For instance, for my screen name (Joseph V Manna), it's shortened to "Joseph V Man..."
:

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.

Tags: AOL, Message Boards, E-Mail Addresses, Update, Status

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AOL News Gets a New Look

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 16:46:21 GMT

[ 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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Where Did the AOL News Boards Go?

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:37:38 GMT

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.

Tags: AOL, AOL News, Feedback, Community, Message Boards, Help

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Four Tips to Minimize Community Disruption

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:33:15 GMT

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.

Tags: Community, Trouble, Discussion, Debate, Civility, People, Tips

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Updates about Boards, AOL.com and AOL Help

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:13:26 GMT

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.

Tags: AOL, Status, Message Boards, AOL.com, AOL Help, Blogging

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New AOL Community: 'Poetry and Prose'

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:29:09 GMT

Hi, folks. We have a new community on the block that is all about poetry. You don't just have to read poems, you can write them too. Let's have a look around, shall we?

Here is a screenshot of Poetry and Prose. Click to check it out.

Poetry and Prose is the place to mingle with other folks who want to share poetry, love poems, haikus and even swap tips for writing poetry. We launched it Friday evening, so go ahead, jump in and start writingthose poems.

There are links to different poetry message boards where you can submit your creations, plus a gallery of featured poems that were highlighted from those boards.

If you have a taste for video, you can submit poetry-related videos to the AOL Poetry Coffee House. This can be anything -- such as inspiration for a poem, a narration your poem in your own words or even a clip of your subject that your poem was about.

Perhaps, you're interested in writing short stories? Ficlets is the place to go to write your short story (1,024 characters max), browse other stories and even add to other people's short fictions (they can add to yours, too).

You can find our communities by accessing the People Connection and look along the right side for "AOL Communities." Pictured below, is the list of AOL Communities as it's displayed on the main page.

More AOL Communities on People Connection.

While I'm discussing communities, here's a shortened list of communities that were suggested by you. If you have more ideas on future communities, let us know in the comments!

Hobbies (amateur radio, crafts, etc.)
Marine Activities (fishing, boating)
Macintosh-userarea
Health (tips and advice)
Do-It-Yourself (tips on self-repair)
Safety (public safety awareness)

I think these suggestions are excellent ideas. I want to let everyone know that you can build your own community with the various products that we've provided for free.If you've started a community and want to get the word out, let us know and we'll help you.

Tags: AOL, Community, Poetry, Poems, Haikus, Suggestions

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