We all connect to the Internet in way or another. I connect with Aol. I love Aol. For me they are the perfect choice. And I have been using them for over 5 years now. (I wonder if I have stock with them now.)
At any rate I have been around since the 3.0 versions. Then they moved to the 4.0 and I thought they had done wonders! Then there was the 5.0 and yet once again I thought they had done wonders. Next was the 6.0 and once again I was all excited. And now they have the 7.0 and I am totally satisfied.
Now I know some people don’t care for Aol and that’s okay. But I do like them and I like them a lot.
What They Offer
The version that I current use is the 7.0. I pay $23.90 a month for unlimited usage. Which is really good since I write and play games a lot. A whole lot!
When I sign on to their secured site I don’t have many problems. But sometimes there are some. For instance I don’t always connect the first time, because the site is busy or the area is busy. But this hardly ever happens. Almost all the time I connect the first time around.
After I sign on I hear “You’ve Got Mail” if I do, or if you use the “You’ve God Pictures” you will here that as well. (I don’t use that part.) They always have a “Welcome” page to load that lets me know about many different things such has: Headline news, what going on my area, entertainment news, polls, information about cars, tires, schools, and all sorts of wonderful and interesting things. The list is always changing! I can also close the “Welcome” screen down.
Now across the top on their tool bar are many options to choose from. Such as: Mail, where you can click a link to check your mail, see the old mail, the sent mail, or write mail. You can also access the mail area from the “Welcome” screen. I can also access my mail from anywhere in the world. Which is nice when traveling.
You can also access your address book from this mail link, recently deleted mail, filing cabinet (which you should clean both out regularly), mail greetings, and many others to choose from. The mail icon has a drop down box that offers all of these. In fact, all the links across the top have drop down boxes that allows you to choose from many different options.
Other links across the top are: People, Services, Settings, Favorites, IM, Chat, Shop, Internet, AOL Help, My Favorites, Calendar, Radio, Quotes and a search engine. You will find various other links under each titled tab.
They also offer “Keyword” where you can type in any word and you will be taken to an area where you can choose from several different websites that may be of interest to you.
They also have a billing section where you can change your bill and they offer parental controls, which I really love. Of course I have great kids and they do not go into chat rooms, but on the off chance that they try to, they won’t get in.
Aol also offers a very secure site where if I choose to use my credit card info I can do so at “AOL Shop” where I am taken to sites that Aol recommends me to shop.
The sites load quickly and accurately. And I have had no real problems with Aol.
I like the “Quotes” part because I have set up our stock information here and I can check daily to see how the stocks are doing. I also like the fact that I can listen to the radio if I want to or I can go to anywhere on the web.
They also offer yellow pages, car buying information, maps and directions, homework help sites, medical information, movie information. And all of these can be found under the “Service” link across the top.
They also allow me to do a member search, a white pages search, and I can set up a homepage if I choose to do so. They offer a lot of different varieties in homepages, so check it out. I can give a profile about me and there I can also add a link to my homepage.
I have the buddy list which I have all my friends and family listed and I can see them when they are online and I can send and instant message and talk with them. We can also go into a private chat where a lot of us can talk at once. This is a really great feature for families getting together. And it is very easy to use.
I can choose to block or unblock people, I can have various sounds to let me know when someone comes online or when they leave. They have a large library to choose from and the down loads are easy.
Speaking of downloads, I can download files or pictures that my daughter sends me of my new grandson, and other various things. But I am always careful not to open mail from people I do not know. If I don’t know you, then I don’t open you.
I will get a lot of junk mail, but I don’t think there is a site anywhere on the Internet that you don’t get junk mail. I just simple delete them and go on about my business.
And of course there are the various chat rooms. We do not go into those places, and I do not recommend them at all. But, some people really like them and that’s okay as well. My children are not allowed and I will hurt them if I catch them in a chat room.
How I Feel
Like I stated earlier I love Aol and always have. There have been times when I have become frustrated with them, but who hasn’t. They have a lot of people aboard and sometimes the site is just busy. If I am patient then there is no problem. And sometimes the error is my own fault.
Overall, though I have been very pleased with their service. In the beginning there was a lot of problems, but now they seem to have them all ironed out and for the most part they are wonderful. They do have their problems, but all sites do.
The load time is very fast and all the sites that I could possibly imagine are available and I sure do like that. I like the fact that my children can get homework help. And my oldest at home now goes each week to a site to get definitions for one of her classes. My son likes to go to various sites and play their games.
I like to go to various sites and play games and write. I like to shop and I trust Aol to take me their. There are a lot of things that I do online daily. I have various places where I go and earn a little money and I depend on Aol to take me there. And they do with no problems.
Now they are not perfect by no means, and do have some downfalls. Like I said earlier sometimes I have to wait once or twice when trying to connect, but nothing major. And sometimes the Aol site will freeze and I will have to re-boot my computer to straighten it out. And sometimes they will boot me off, which is a pain in the butt. But, all Internet providers have their problems and we all have to deal with it.
I don’t like having to pay as much as I do, but I guess I have become use to it. They do offer a place called “Opinion Site” where I can take surveys for them and earn points, and when I get to a certain amount I can choose to get a free month of Aol. I have done this before and it has come in handy.
One other thing, customer service! Each time that I have had to use them I have had no problems with them in any way. They have helped me with greatness each time, and there have not been many. I also can report abuse, which I really love. Because I hate abuse of any kind.
Well that’s it. That’s how I feel about Aol. I hope that this has helped in some kind of way.
God Bless!
©LKD 2002