Hello Boards Users. We are finished with our database migration. Access to all your favorites and preferences should be readily accessible now.

Thank you for your patience!
Happy Posting!

~Erin

Hello Boards Users. Wanted to give you a quick heads up that this weekend, we'll be migrating our boards database behind the scenes, which may cause strange behavior between 10PM ET on Sunday, 2/10 and mid-Monday 2/11.

This is what you can expect. Your saved preferences, favorite boards and signatures will be unavailable during the migration. You will also not be able to save any preferences changes during this time. Rest assured that they all will return as soon as the migration period is over on Monday -- at least that's what they tell me.

You will be able to read and post while all this is going on.

We're sorry for the inconvenience!

~Erin

A lot of you have noticed that popular AOL channels such as Video, Music, News and Games carry a Comments feature. I'll share some info on the features of AOL comments as well as my personal thoughts on the subject.

You can usually find the comment sections below the featured content, such as a news article or a hot video. It allows you to post your thoughts on the specific item. In case you haven't been using comments, pictured below (and explained below it) are the various features of comments:

Earlier today, I attended a Web 2.0 Security conference sponsored by AOL Developer Network, which focused on the array of threats and solutions to hacking in today's age of Web 2.0. Naturally, I'm very interested in Information Technology (IT) Security so I decided to learn more about it.

The slides opened up with an overview of the history of security on the Internet, as well as statistics on the behavior of the "underground" deviating from traditional Worms and Viruses towards Botnets, Rootkits, and Professional Phishing.

Our IT Security folks also informed the audience that they thwart attacks against our servers every minute by leveraging different technologies to prevent security risks to AOL (and Time Warner, collectively).

Then came the geeky stuff like preventing Cross Site Scripting (XSS) and SQL Injection attacks against a Web server. One of the proven methods discussed was how to secure Web servers from attacks with a free Web application firewall known as ModSecurity. This can be an invaluable component for system administrators to analyze and prevent common attacks against Web servers and generate informative log files for later review. It's free and works with Apache.

On a more relevant note for you, a Web user, it's important to understand that many security exploits aren't technical, but prey on human error. For instance, take Phishing (when scammers try to trick private info out of you): We tend to trust something if it looks official (such as e-mails that carry a company's logo), and may neglect to check the URL or look for other signs that an e-mail is a fake (such as e-mail headers).

You don't need to be a security expert to protect yourself -- there are plenty of easy ways to spot risky e-mails. We have a tips on how to spot phishing scams, so does Microsoft, eBay and PayPal. You can put your phish-finding skills to the test with this fun phishing game [link via PC World].

Besides reporting spam on phishy e-mails, you can volunteer that information to Phishtank [link via Security Fix] to report phishing Web sites. There you can also track and verify them and check out some interesting phishing statistics collected from users. Yesterday, they published a report on ISPs that host the most phishing sites: Right now, SBC, Comcast and Road Runner are the top three.

Maybe now is a good time to plug the free McAfee VirusScan Plus provided by AOL which includes a firewall and McAfee SiteAdvisor as helpful tool to detect phishing sites as you browse the Web.

Other tips include (for all users and system administrators) keeping your computer updated with updates from the vendor. This includes Windows Updates, Mac OS updates, as well as software updates (like AOL 9.0 VR or AIM 6.5) so many vulnerabilities are closed from online criminals.

These are my thoughts on security in a Web 2.0 world. What questions or tips do you have on staying safe and secure on today's Web? Post your thoughts in the comments below.

~ Joseph

Hi, folks. Our Mac team has been working on a not-so-secret project to redesign the flagship AOL software application for Mac. They have a new blog titled Mac@AOL Blog. Also, I had the chance to chat with the product lead for AOL's Mac products.

The blog has just launched to serve as an open forum to discuss topics in the Mac and AOL world. The blog, led by Lee Givens Jr., intends to use the blog to collect feedback from users and to talk about other industry news. He also openly invites the internal Mac team to contribute -- that means from designers, project mangers, to even QA testers.

The Mac team has several applications for Mac users to enjoy, all for free. You can check them out at AOL Downloads. If you have a .Mac or an AIM screen name, you can enjoy AOL Radio, AOL Pictures and AOL Service Assistant just by using your existing screen name.

He shared some details with me about the next version of AOL for the Mac in the following IM conversation:

Joseph V Manna: So, can you tell me more about what the Mac@AOL Blog, such as who your audience is?

Ask anyone here at the office, I listen to a lot of music. From AC/DC to Yung Joc, there is always something coming out of my speakers (or now-retired headphones). What if you want to hear my music over the Web?

AIM Tunes is a new AIM Plugin that lets you share and listen to your buddy's music over the Web for free with no additional setup. It takes just a few moments to install and start jammin' to your friend's music.
All you need to get started is AIM 6.1 (or newer) and download the AIM Tunes plugin. Right now, it's pretty new, so it might not work for everyone yet. The developers appreciate any feedback you can share with them so they can make it work for everyone.

AIM Plugins are additional add-ons you can use for AIM 6. They are small and easy to install and you can do pretty cool stuff with them like randomly coloring your IM text, saving and loading buddy lists, showing off what music you're listening to and more.

What do you think about the new plugin? Share your feedback in the comments below!

~ Joseph

Hey folks,

Our team is interested to hear your suggestions, and I think this is a good time to collect feedback regarding AOL Community (including: AOL People Connection, Chat, AIM Today, Boards, Blogs, Profiles), or anything else our group manages. Also, I'm taking a much needed vacation to visit my friends and family in Tucson.

I really want to help collect user feedback so we can discuss it with various product managers and team to help make sure we're doing the very best we can to make sure you have a safe and enjoyable online experience.

Dish it -- we can take it. However, I request that if you don't like something, tell us why (or) how we can improve it. Also, let us know what we're doing great with, too.

Here are some ideas to help you share your feedback with us:
* Is there one thing you really love to do (or want to do) online?
* What is one area that you think we're lacking in or could do better?
* What do you love about People Connection or AIM Today?
* What suggestions do you have for online communities?
* Are there any other suggestions you have for us?

I'd like to make clear that even though we might not be able to change everything very quickly, it's vital for us to listen to our users and adapt to their interests and needs. That said, I promise to keep you updated as to the status of any new ideas or features we have happening in our neighborhood.

I'll be working out of the office on 9/14, and will return to the office on 9/19.

Thanks in advance for your feedback! :-)

~ Joseph

One of the cool things around the office here is a scrolling RSS news reader, NewsBliss. It's lightweight, free, and works quite well.


Most feed readers available now are either Web-based or is similar to an e-mail client in software form. I was in pursuit of a feed reader that was different. I wanted the speed of software along with simplicity so I can stay on top of current events without necessarily interrupting what I'm doing.

NewsBliss is just that.

It's a considerably lightweight news reader that can support a lot of feeds. Right now, I have nine feeds, and it uses just under 30MB of memory. When I want to read more about a specific headline, I just mouse over it and I can see it or I can click on it to the story. The software is very easy to setup and is simple to manage. It auto fetches my feeds and scrolls them on the top.

I'm very cautious about installing new software because of the increasing use of bundling Spyware or Adware. NewsBliss, distributed by eMarket Software Inc., does include an advertisement only visible when you roll over a feed item. It is fine by me, as it doesn't obstruct the content in any way.

All in all, I think this is a very good application if you want to be able to track news and information from any site that supports RSS. It's free, and that's always a good thing.

If you already downloaded and installed it, you're probably wondering how to add a feed into it, right? In about the same time it takes to fire up your browser and visit your favorite News Web sites, you can add a feed:

How to Add a Feed in NewsBliss: .

1. Click the white and blue N along the left side of the ticker.
2. Click Subscribe.
3. Select "Enter feed URL" and click Next.
   
4. Paste in the RSS feed URL. Our blog's RSS feed is:
   http://www.peopleconnectionblog.com/rss.xml
   
5. Click Next for the next three dialogs and you're done!
   

Tip: You can customize the feeds that are displayed by clicking the white and blue N, then clicking "Quick Feeds."

Do you use any favorite RSS readers or software? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Hi, everyone. Some of you may be wondering why I'm not online lately. It's because I'm in Bangalore, India, where I'm training folks to assist us in some of community moderation functions and other related on-going projects.

After an 18-hour flight, and having survived a wild ride through traffic, I'm having a good time with the folks here. I just wanted to mention a few things about my whereabouts.

These training sessions are just one step in the grand scheme of things to put together our network of services and support, known as:

Nancie wrote a little about this in one of her recent entries, but I'd like to expand on how all of this will provide better service and support to our community users.

For a long time, we've felt the need to expand some of our services beyond Monday through Friday and normal business hours. As a result, we're expanding support of the AOLPeopleMGR mailbox to 24/7 coverage. This means that faster turn around time. Other aspects of moderation and enforcement have always been 24/7 operations.

I invite you to let me know how things progress from your perspective.

Once again, thank you for your patience this week. I appreciate it. I want to just mention that the team here is doing really well.

I'll be catching my flight back next Monday and will be back in the office on Wednesday. If you want, check out AOL.IN to check out what's happening in India. Stay tuned for a follow-up when I get back in the office. :-)

~ Joseph

We have a wide variety of community products for you to use at People Connection. I talked a little bit about community products in my intro -- now, I'd like to talk a little more about "What is online community?", as well as some of the community products that we have to offer for all of our members.

An online community (or virtual community) is a place where people -- usually with similar interests -- get together and communicate online. The core of any community is the people who participate and invest themselves into it and build relationships with each other. And the community products are the applications, software or services that enable those connections.

Here are some of our community products:

AOL Chat [link for AOL software users only]: AOL is famous for its chat rooms, where people from around the world can get together in "rooms" of up to 36 people to "chat" with each other using text, in real-time. In a chat room, you can format your text in different styles and colors and add smileys; you can also block unwanted users. It's a very easy way find new friends online. Plus, you can create private chats where you can invite just your friends.

(In an effort to help expand AOL chat to Web users, Userplane-powered Web chats are coming soon to a screen near you. If you want, go ahead and try out the Userplane Beta to catch a sneak peek.)

AOL Member Directory lets you create a profile where you can tell other people (like people you meet in chat rooms) about yourself, and where you can see the profiles other people have made.

To create a profile, [you'll have to sign in] just fill in your name, interests, hobbies, gadgets, favorite quotes and whatever else you want to tell people about yourself. Plus, you can add photos to your profile, so people can see who are.

AIM Pages is another kind of profile where users can customize their page with modules that do different things, like embed slideshows, videos, poll and more. Check out the AIM Pages Blog for more info, and create an AIM Pages profile here.

There are going to be more features coming soon for Member Directory and AIM Pages profiles, so stay tuned for updates.

AOL Message Boards are online bulletin boards where people can gather to discuss specific topics. Some of the features in AOL boards include the ability to subscribe to favorite boards; custom signatures that can be added to the bottom of your posts; and ways to ignoring offensive posters and filter out unwanted content.

AOL Journals is AOL's blogging platform. (A blog is basically a Web page where the new entries go on top. They usually include photos, links to other sites, and allow visitors to comment. Many people use them as public diaries.) Journals makes it easy for people to post entries, add photos or video, customize layouts and themes and basically tell other people about their lives -- without having to know HTML or any other programming language. Create your Journal now.

Finally, don't forget about Instant Messaging, because even though it's primarily for instant one-to-one communication, it's an easy way to keep in touch with your friends, family and buddies that you've met online.

Plus, with the power of mobile communication, it's a way to help extend online communities into the physical world. For instance, parents can keep in touch with their children, or send them "b home b4 curfew" messages to their cell phones with IM Forwarding.

(I could talk about Groups, or the sharing aspects of AOL Pictures, but I'll save that for another time.)

That pretty much wraps up this tour of AOL Community products. Remember, products are good, but they become great when there's a community of people using them.

Also, we want you to be safe online. With any community product, you'll want to be careful about what you post online. Parents, we encourage that you go over online safety tips with children and check out these additional Internet safety resources, too.

I'm interested on your thoughts on this entry and thoughts on what products would be cool to add to our collection. Discuss it in the comments below!