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AIM Bots: Useful or Spam?
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.
try swearing at them or asking for sex; a recent New Scientist article found that this would provoke some bots into fighting back :)
I could really use a friend.
Actually, it popped them up on Trillian Pro, too.
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.
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.
>These bots sneak in to your list, pretend to be your friends, and if you send them a message, BAM!
Jeez, just like my ex-wife. Maybe she was a bot?
Open Source Drum Kit, LPLC deve board - mjhdesigns.com
December 2, 2005 (AP Newswire)
Microsoft has announced a new addition to it's popular MSN Chat service - ClippyBotTM. According to Chief Software Architect Bill Gates, ClippyBot will "be a welcome addition to your buddy list. ClippyBot will watch for common behaviors, and will provide you with gentle, helpful assistance in completing those tasks." When asked about those users who might not want ClippyBot to be added to their buddy list, Gates replied "We are always responsive to the needs of our users. Removing ClippyBot from your buddy list is as easy as editing 13 registry keys!"
#DeleteChrome
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?
Remember, punch the EthicsBuddy and you can win a free* iPod!
Because your client is intelligent in thinking that maybe you logon to aim from somewhere else (perhaps work?) and that you might have added people there. So, being the smart program that it is, since AOL says that these people are in your buddy list it adds them.
This is far more a problem of aol screwing around with people's buddy lists and adding a group and 2 buddys to everyone's list.
AOL is letting me use their servers to connect to others to chat with. I'm using their resource for free, so yeah, I think they get a little more leeway than a spammer. Spammers tend to only use others resources. Spammers don't usually host email servers for the public for free. Totally different situation.