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AIM Bots: Useful or Spam?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the future-of-advertising dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Imagine my surprise this morning when AOL AIM popped up a window and introduced me to two bots that it automatically added to my buddy list. " Two seperate issues- one is simply auto adding robots to your friends list, which is very uncool. The second is a corporation using bots in an official capacity. This is an interesting trend, although technically speaking, not that far from the eggdrop of old.

8 of 517 comments (clear)

  1. Meh. by Fraize · · Score: 4, Informative

    Right-click, Delete Group. Done.

    --
    --Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
    1. Re:Meh. by Khopesh · · Score: 4, Informative

      Not done.
      Delete the group and close your IM client.
      Now open it again and log back in. AOL messages you wondering why you deleted its bots, though they are not put back.
      Now you're done. Damnit.

      --
      Use my userscript to add story images to Slashdot. There's no going back.
  2. Re:Ever heard of GAIM? by redwards · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actually, it popped them up on Trillian Pro, too.

  3. Re:Ever heard of GAIM? by LearnToSpell · · Score: 4, Informative

    And Gaim latest (yep, heard of it). I don't know what that post was about. Why would it matter what client you're running?

    Add me to the "immediately-deleted-and-moderately-annoyed" list.

    --
    Haida Manga
  4. Re:I'm just surprised... by Wieland · · Score: 5, Informative

    They have a near-monopoly on IM communications

    In the US, that is. Here in Europe, IM seems to be almost exclusively MSN. Hardly anyone uses AIM this side of the Atlantic.

  5. Re:I'm just surprised... by Phatboy · · Score: 5, Informative

    Don't be so sure about that monopoly, it all depends on where you live. I'm in the UK and don't know anyone who uses AIM - everyone uses MSN Messenger instead. Not that AOL isn't in a strong position in the places where they do have a monopoly, but doing things like this don't help them in the markets they don't yet control. Maybe they've just decided that it's not past the average user's annoyance threshold and not going to harm them.

  6. Re:Not on GAIM, yet by LordJezo · · Score: 5, Informative

    I use GAIM here and when I signed on this morning I saw them, I had no idea what was going on, I thought it was some kind of new GAIM feature since I just upgraded a day ago to the new version (I am slow on those things)

    Maybe its being pushed in phases?

  7. Re:The bots didn't add you, AOL added the bots for by Covener · · Score: 4, Informative

    If someone adds YOU to THEIR buddylist, then you are notified

    Not on AIM you aren't.