AOL eMail

[NYCfixie]

I have had an AOL account since dial-up when you had to pay for it.

I kept that account even when you still had to pay for it and others were offering free email.

I worked at AOL-Time Warner (started just after the merger - don't ask) when some fool from AOL thought it made sense to use AOL as the corporate mail system rather than the Unix based system that was in place for years at Time Warner. I suggested at a group IT meeting that we use the Netscape platform internally because AOL owned it but I was quickly shot down. AOL email was the premiere product and that is what the new AOL overlords wanted to use for corporate email. So, a few weeks later I grabbed every combination of my name on my personal account (up to 5 were allowed) and saved the worst combination for my corporate account.

Over the years the accounts get on a spam list, I can't get them off, I give up on the account, and move onto the next one.

Today, is the day when I have reached my limit. My 5th email/username account is being spammed to death and AOL's spam blocking is no longer working to stop the barrage of crap. I received over 100 spam emails in my inbox today. I am saddened by this turn of events because the last email is mylastname@aol.com, the best iteration, and it is now dead to me.

Friends/Family know my gmail account. Professionally (non-work account) I use a different gmail. But AOL was my first foray into email and I will miss it.

AOL is dead, long live AOL.

[CJones]

It seems like something has changed today. I also have had an AOL e-mail address forever and usually only get a few spams. Starting this afternoon it has been ridiculous.

[j44ke]

In the last two weeks there has been a tremendous uptick in spam on my commercial-only account. It doesn't make it into my inbox, but the spam box has been running over every day. So who knows what is happening. Maybe someone is finally using all those stolen email credentials they bought.

[DCT]

Moving this to the OT section for obvious reasons.....

[sk_tle]

I've transitionned to using my own domain. Now I have only one mailbox and I multiply the addresses by creating aliases. It gives two advantages :
1. I can create as many aliases as I subscribes to services/websites
2. If one alias becomes a spam target I can unsubscribe, or simply delete it until I need it again.

[false_aesthetic]

I feel your pain.

Dibs on your left-over trial CDs.

aol.jpeg

[dgaddis]

Anyone with an AOL address should change it simply for perception. They look like email address for old people who don't know anything about modern technology.

What your email address says about your computer skills - The Oatmeal

[NYCfixie]

AOL is retro - If you have/use an AOL address it means you really know what you are doing, have an original NIC handle, and knew how to register domain names before all this GUI crap. And yes, I have an early NIC handle that is only two letters and three numbers format (xx-000).

Gmail is conformist - it means you sold your soul and identity for a free email account and so that advertisers can spam you to death (ignore OP about AOL spam for purposes of this point).

Anyone with an AOL address should change it simply for perception. They look like email address for old people who don't know anything about modern technology.

What your email address says about your computer skills - The Oatmeal