Attention AOL Hometown Users -- United States
Posted on Aug 4th 2008 2:34PM by Kelly Wilson
Formally announced on 9/30/2008:
Dear AOL Hometown user,
We're sorry to inform you that on Oct. 31, 2008, AOL® Hometown will be shut down permanently. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Though you will be able to modify your Hometown site until this date, we urge you to save your AOL Hometown content immediately, and consider other options for hosting your site. Read more about how to download and save your Hometown files here.
In the meantime, please bookmark the People Connection Blog, where you can find out more about AOL Hometown. You can also subscribe to the People Connection Blog RSS feed to stay informed about any changes. We'll be updating the People Connection Blog often, so please check it regularly.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make this transition. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Sincerely,
The AOL Hometown Team
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1. I am not finding how to back up my files to save my entries on my AOL Journal. Please help.
Posted at 1:20AM on Sep 30th 2008 by Chelle
2. OK, I'm completely confused. Does this mean that all my members.aol.com web pages will be disappearing as of Nov. 1st, and I need to find a new web host?
Posted at 1:43AM on Sep 30th 2008 by jeanb7
3. OK, I'm completely confused. Does this mean that all my members.aol.com web pages will be disappearing as of Nov. 1st, and I need to find a new web host?
Posted at 1:47AM on Sep 30th 2008 by jeanb7
4. A few hours ago before I read this I contacted AOL via phone 1-866-280-0615 and email. They were of no help. I removed and reinstalled my AOL software & Java because I'd been trying to edit my webpage since Sept. 10th & kept getting an error. This did nothing. I am able to edit a webpage on a different screen name which is strange. I am SOMETIMES able to access my FTP Space. I paid for AOL for over eight years, until I learned AOL was free. Because I am not a paying member NOW {mind you the Easy Designer AOL webpage they offer is FREE} they won't speak with you regarding any technical issues... I then was directed to the floor "supervisor" who was of NO HELP also. He said that they aren't aware of any Easy Designer or FTP Space ERRORS or ISSUES. I asked him to visit the AOL message boards to see for himself and he said they can't access them! I am very disappointed in AOL. They didn't even offer to make technical service AWARE that people are having a problem accessing/editing their webpages that THEY offer.
Error message::
"An error occurred while trying to open/save a page. The page you are attempting to open/save might have been created by or edited with another program or there may be a problem with your connection to the internet. Please try again later."
I am very disappointed in AOL for doing this and just NOW finding out about it.
Tornadodance1
USA
Posted at 1:58AM on Sep 30th 2008 by Deana
5. The good side of this adventure is that I have been procrastinating the building of a newer web site ... not an AOL Members site, for a couple of years.
I have not been able to edit my site since 2002, because AOL no longer supports the publishing software I used to create the pages with back in 199?.
But it has served me well, I still get hits, and I still get feedback ... and it has been free.
I really don't have any complaints ... all good things must come to an end.
So I have saved all of my pages, and I will register a domain name, create a new more accessible web presence, and I will procrastinate no longer.
Now I have no reason to hang onto AOL with all of its bells and whistles, and its bottleneck, and family friendly atmosphere.
With luck it will be a good experience.
Posted at 4:33AM on Sep 30th 2008 by badart1331
6. Japan AOL too informed me of the shutdown of this site, which I actually suspected if this spiteful act is only targeted to the Japanese AOL users. The updated hometown page confirmed me that the whole AOL world is in a mess. I have used hometown service as a tool for communication with the medical colleagues and commons in the world through home page building. Actually, I sometimes helped patients in the English speaking world with medical advice free. I am really annoyed how to re-construct my page.
Where is the great original philosophy of AMERICA ON LINE?
Just sigh.
--
Akio Hasegawa, M.D., PhD
Pathologist
Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan
(http://members.aol.com/drhasegawa/welcome.htm)
Posted at 5:10AM on Sep 30th 2008 by akio hasegawa md
7. I have been a paying member for ten years and now will end my aol membership.
Posted at 9:12AM on Sep 30th 2008 by playfulart
8. I do not see any information on backing up your blog from the link provided.
Posted at 9:28AM on Sep 30th 2008 by Sonya
9. Are you going to publish the info in English. My German is rusty.
Posted at 9:28AM on Sep 30th 2008 by Traci
10. Might be nice if the link to talk about saving the entry actually had some text to read :(
Posted at 10:16PM on Sep 30th 2008 by D