AOL 9.0 commercials...

The BBQ Pit
#1

Yes, PC central are running commercials for their latest, greatest version of AOL “browser” central…

The phrase that REALLY bothers me… “The internet… SANITIZED for your PROTECTION!”

Call me a pinko-commie-whatever… isn’t this just TOO 1984!!! I’d much rather DECIDE FOR MYSELF WTF I’d like to peruse on the internet, rather than have some group of nameless, faceless NOBODYS decide for me!

To those of you who are actually ON AOL… Grow up! Take control of your life! Don’t be a MINDLESS ZOMBIE!!! Just say NO!!!

On preview… this looks like a total rant… which it is… if the Mods think this should be somewhere else, feel free to move it for me…

#2

Yea… AOL is terrible. It is setup for old people and little kids to be userfriendly. In other words, its for n00bs.

#3

Yeah, today I was doing something (unloading grocerices, or something as mundane) and the TV was on in the living room. I heard “And the Internet SANITIZED for your PROTECTION!!”. I immediately, without thought yelled out “Well what if I don’t WANT the F***ing Internet sanitized?!?”

I couldn’t believe that this was actually a selling point.

Sigh. My mom would love it.

#4

Can I get the version that clears out everything BUT the dirt? That’s my favorite part of the 'net, after all.

#5

AOL is to the Internet as Microsoft is to software applications. Their “upgrades” from one version to another are minimal at best and are nothing more than the latest futile attempt to get new, naive people to sign on. (“Coming soon! AOL 10.0! Now with colors!”)

I could be wrong here, but don’t most new PCs still come with an AOL icon on them (Click here to join)? AOL itself isn’t installed, but it’s very easy for a new computer owner to get online that way. And if it’s easy to do, people will do it. And they’ll keep with what they know, because they’re comfortable with it. This, to me, is the reason AOL still has the most subscribers - too many people unwilling to change to cheaper and better alternatives.

#6

So are toilets. Nice to see AOL believes in “truth in advertising”.

#7

With the advent of cable access to the internet, why would Anyone pay for A–H---- On Line? They didn’t care when you were paying for hours & couldn’t dial in. They didn’t care when they offerred “Unlimited Access” for 19.99 a month, but installed software to boot people who hadn’t keystroked for 30 seconds.

I’ll take great pleasure from their chapter 7 filing…

#8

Don’t forget their “1045 free hours” garbage (or whatever the total is now), designed to trick the nondiscriminating consumer into thinking they’re getting a lot of something for nothing. (The hours must be used within 45 days, I believe.)

#9

Hee hee! Put me down for one of those too!

#10

Next time watch the commercial and check out the sidekick. I don’t recognize her but she really fills out her black latex outfit.

You might need to use the slow motion on you TiVo as they are rather brief shots.

#11

I meant to put that in my OP. Black latex and BULGING with cleavage. But if you had AOL 9.0, could you get to a pic of her, or would THAT be sanitized too? :smiley:

#12

I think they changed it a while back, but I’m pretty sure it used to be a free 1000 hours in the first month. But a month only has, at most, 31 * 24 = 744 hours. Now it’s 1045 for 45 days, which comes out to 45 *24 = 1080 hours. So you could use up your whole 1045 hours, but only if you were online roughly 97% of your time. And from what I’ve heard about the reliability of the connection, you couldn’t do that even if you tried.

#13

Plus there’s that sleeping thing, which might interfere. Unless, of course, you can get by with 35 hours’ sleep over 45 days.

#14

Anyone seen the Sting/AOL Commercial where he’s hawking his new CD - Sacred Love (which is good), Sting whoring himself out, (I hope he’s getting paid from AOL), E-mailing people about his new Song/Video. I wish I would get an E-mail from Sting.

#15

I LIKED the commercials, but I always mute the sound so I missed the line. So, violence and the connection of violence with sex and the objectification of women’s bodies are all being used to promote ‘santizing’ the internet.

I really should pay more attention.
Or maybe even less.

#16

I hate to admit it, but it is a pretty cool commercial… except for the sound.

#17

Actually, that ad highlighted the major drawback of any messenger - unwanted messages! And it’s a huge problem for AOL users, because a person only needs to know your AOL username to send you the spam instant messages AND spam emails.

#18

Off to The Pit.

Cajun Man ~ SDMB Moderator

#19

AOL is run by a bunch of idiots. Case in point: 4½ years ago, they had a large captive audience but decided that audience was spending too much of their online time in one spot. Thus, the site you’re on right now was created.

Sometimes stupidity is a good thing.

#20

AOL is teh suxxors! :smiley: