A Dedicated 9.1 User Tries Desktop, Part 8 -- The Promo Spot
Posted Nov 14th 2008 12:14PM by Summer
Filed under: AOL Desktop, AOL 9.1
You know when you use something over and over, and sometimes you forget how useful it is because it's just part of your daily routine? For me, over the last month or so, I've been using a little icon in middle of the Desktop Toolbar. It was titled "Elections 08" and it took me directly to election news coverage. I used it all the time.
As I've stated in previous posts, I hate extra clicks -- and unless there happened to be an election link on the Welcome Screen, it would take me couple clicks to get to the Election page. A couple of clicks would mean that I probably wouldn't go. So, when I first saw that Elections promotional spot I was thrilled. Not only could I get to Elections in one click, but that little icon was also located in an incredibly convenient place. It served as a daily reminder to get the latest updates. Every day it was like "oh, look – there's that election icon," and I would remember to check out what wacky antics the politicians were up to. In fact, now that it's gone, I kind of miss it. That promotional spot turned me into an election junkie and now I'm in withdrawal. Did you notice I hadn't posted a blog in a few weeks? How am I going to procrastinate now?
From what I've heard, that promotional spot is primarily used to inform people about Now, it's your turn -- what did you think? Did you like it? Hate it? Use it? What do you need a handy reminder about? What would you like to see promoted there?
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
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Terrie is the lead product manager on the AOL Desktop Affinity software. Terrie works to define new views of Desktop. Like the Asylum Desktop and LemonDrop Desktop. Take a look, they are neat!
Summer is a Sr. Manager for AOL Member Communications. While she has no ties directly to the product development team, she has been a contributor to many AOL blogs over the last few years and is excited to bring a non-product team perspective to the Desktop blog.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1. I am using AOL Desktop and cannot use WinZip 11.2 to email attachments. It keeps telling me that I have not default mail when in fact I do. It is AOL. Is anyone aware of a compatibility problem with WINZIP? I cannot find anything about it.
Posted at 1:00PM on Nov 20th 2008 by Glenn
2. I recently upgraded to AOL Desktop 10.1 from using AOL 9.1 I can receive emails but I cannot send emails. I get an error message. I tried to get AOL live help to help fix it and we have had no luck. Has anyone had this problem? I gave up and uninstalled Desktop 10.1 and went back to 9.1 with much disappointment, I really enjoyed Desktop 10.1.
Posted at 11:45AM on Dec 5th 2008 by Janice
3. Hi, I just stumbled upon this blog site fortuitously while googling for an aol remedy to what may not be a problem but seems so.....since trying 10.1 a long time ago for a few minutes then more recently trying the 9.1 Beta for a few minutes. I don't/didn't like signing in for email, and got confused figuring out whether or not I was signed in or out. Now I'm back to classic 9.1 but find that when I want to go to my AOL financial potfolio( from my designated carousel icon)to check the continued downslide of my stocks, I'm first sent to the AOL Discovery site and required to sign in. That never used to be required before experimenting with 10.1 or 9.1 Beta. I feel like Henry Hyde tuning back into Dr Jekyl but finding hair remaining on the palms of my hands.Please note that when switching back to the Classic, I lost my personalized Carousel icons for awhile till I found out how to remedy that on my own. So what's going on. Has AOL snuck in some transitional update that I haven't been informed of, like version x.ox.oy.oy.oy? Should I be expecting a mandatory swith over to the New Coke.I must just say that I've been around at least from AOL Version 5._ _ _ and have had many newer versions forced upon me. Why I stick with AOL Classic while passing up Communicator..Mozilla, Eudora. Outlook Chrome (and even pay for the support I get 10% of the time, I'd be glad to tell any beta testers whenever they want to hear it. For now I'd just like to know why I have to sign in to AOL to get my financial portfolio. HHH799
Posted at 10:50AM on Jan 5th 2009 by HARVEY SLUTSKY
4.
Please bring my normal, classic AOL screen back
on. So far for me the new "thing" is all
confusing. Thanks
Posted at 10:49AM on Jan 5th 2009 by jcp424
5. I AM WAITING
Posted at 4:41PM on Feb 1st 2009 by Edmund Speid
6. I have been using AOL for many years and I usually love the new products that come out. I've participated in beta testing and the works. But I have to say I'm very disappointed with AOL Desktop 10.1 for Vista. I have, like so many others, also received the 'Not Responding' and inbox/e-mail quirks like freezing and not being able to access my e-mail. I have seen all over the internet other users experiencing the same thing. I usually don't feed into the negativity or comment on things, but honestly this product has serious problems. And it a shame because AOL 9.1 works like a charm. I guess I have to use that until a better product comes out.
Posted at 11:23PM on Feb 8th 2009 by Samuel Smith
7. Well, as usual I was seduced into tryng 10.1 because of the slick uncluttered screen, having come from 9.1's build up of Welcome screen clutter, and thinking I could keep 9.1 for my wife, who is new to the computer and habituated to 9.1 usage. I also liked the thumbnail maic and look of the app screen for navigation in the introductory material. However, I quickly found app screen navigation quite slow and cumbersome compared to 9.1. I realized that keeping the temporal sequencial overlay and spatial arrangement of successively opened windows in my head permitted greater speed of window manipulation than did finding and retrieving former windows from the app screen. This was a problem for me with Open Ride. Open Ride also had the disadvantage that the surprising visuo-kinetic effect of expanding and contracting windows had a backward masing effect on recent memory for whatever occured just before the surprise even though initiated by me. In addition I found the toolbar icons too small for comfortable identification and I had a problemm adding new favorites, especially transferring my old Favorites to 10.1. The mail screen with availability of extra contents on the screen is too distracting for me as is working with an inbox which combines new and old mail thereby unduely overloading the screen for me. The New/OLD mail dichotomy is a feature in AOL 9.1 and earlier versions that I always found to be a strength compared to other email clients' with similar inbox formats such as OUTLOOK, EUDORA, Gmail, etc. and AOL lookalikes such as Communicator. So, I'm back to 9.1. By the way I don't understand why being able to navigate without signing in, but repeatedly having to sign in for email and other personal apps like my financial portfolio and my calendar etc is in the long run more advantageous than signing in once at the outset of AOL logon. Well I too will await AOL's next incarnation with interest.
Posted at 4:42PM on Feb 10th 2009 by HARVEY SLUTSKY