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October 22, 2002
To AOL or Not.....
I have used an AOL account since 1995; my main email address is aol and I have posted on a message board nearly daily since February of '95. How I wish now I had those posts...7 years of major and minor events in my life were reflected in those posts! I guess this is why this concept of blogging appeals to me.
But has my participation on my aol message board run it's course..is it time to move on? It's hard to think about it; it's more than a habit, it's a comfy place to go and be with "friends" who know me pretty darn well even if I've never met some of them in person. There was a time when missing reading the board for more than a day meant being 100 posts or more behind..it was nearly impossible to catch up if one went away on vacation and didn't have computer access. Through that board and common interest, I met well over 100 women from around the country, attended many gatherings in cities like NY, Chicago, Seattle and even hosted a few of those gatherings in my own home. We've seen each other through each other's highs and lows..graduations, weddings, births, divorces; been Dear Abby, Erma Bombeck, Martha Stewart, and Heloise to each other at the drop of a remark or question. We've even managed to hold online wedding and baby showers! ( Believe me, it can be done) How in the world does one give up something like that....
The board still exists although one would hardly recognize it. On a good day, there are probably 4 or 5 posts to read...most likely one of them is mine. Even I don't post everyday anymore as days can go by with nothing but empty space. Certainly, it would not be hard to catch up if one went a whole month without dropping in to see what was going on. I still "see" my fellow posters on my Buddy List, so I know they are still online somewhere. I get email from those who have left aol and mass email from others who don't post very often but want to stay in touch. Just when I think the board has breathed it's last breath, some event or incident occurs ( like 9/11) and it comes alive! "The Board" is still the first place we all go to express ourselves and feel connected, secure and safe...it's the first place we go when we want to share some happy news. As horrific as the events of 9/11 were, it was very nice indeed to see so many familar posters back to drop a line or 12. But they are gone again....
The sociologist in me recognizes the evolution and demise of groups. Familiarity may not always give rise to contempt but judgements and expectations are formed. The freedom of expression anonimity affords diminishes. For most this was too hard to deal with espeically when times got hard for them and they just disappeared. Other's developed new interests or families got too active so time to post was a factor.
Regardless of the reason, the board is no longer what it was even to me. I guess if I even have to question leaving AOL, I have my answer. Asking my sons to create my physical blog is an answer..I certainly need someplace to go all ready before I leave aol for good.
So what's holding me back? hhhmmm....it's not like I use aol itself for much. I generally go outside aol for surfing and game playing. I have instant messengers up the whazoo so I can still keep in touch with all my "buddies". I have multiple email addresses although I usually use my aol one. That's it! If I leave aol, I will have to learn a new email system..I'll have to notify everyone of an email address change and I just might miss something! But worse, it's allllll those places that I probably couldn't even remember, that have an association to my email address...woe is me...what shall i do?
Posted by frani at October 22, 2002 08:22 AM
Comments
Pull the band-aid, let it go. Your friends will find you, you have an easy to remember email address. Drag the email along on the $4.95/month plan for 6 months and act as if it wasn't there to clear the places you forgot. Your daily posts are now your blog entrys and the responses are the comments. And the mass emails are still the mass emails. And the Aol'ers can still find you too. Besides you can still use the AIM.
In the end, you are giving up an email address and access to a board that you use as mostly a poor-mans blog.
In fact, you could even set up a "Personal Posters" blog on your site and your friends could be authors on that site, same as you, while still keeping your weblog for private access.
Posted by: KnipSter at October 23, 2002 08:56 PM
You've got some valid points...sigh...we'll see.
Posted by: frani at October 24, 2002 12:20 PM
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