A Drum Roll, Please, For My Number One Complaint!

What do you imagine is the most common complaint I've received between blogging, Op-Ed contributions and hosting talk shows over the years?

Are they from "progressives" ticked off by my viewpoints?

Or from certain conservatives who think I'm too moderate, or worse, a dreaded neo-con?

The answer: neither. Consistently, the one type of gripe I can count on hearing is this:

"Why do you insist on using AOL, Brian? I HATE AOL!!!!!!!!!"

It transcends debates over liberals vs. conservatives, or Democrats vs. Republicans. Everybody seems to detest AOL.

The answer, is this: I can't stand AOL either, but so many people are used to the email address I've had for 11 years that it's hard to change it now. People know it. Too bad there isn't email address portability as with mobile phones.

AOL's "Welcome Screen" at sign-on has news headlines which are consistently slanted to the extreme left. That department must by run by young anarchists from Eugene.

Here's a great example of why AOL is the most hated company in America. It only continues AOL's self-destruction wish:


(E-Week)

America Online, Inc. has quietly updated the terms of service for its AIM instant messaging application, making several changes that is sure to raise the hackles of Internet privacy advocates.

The revamped terms of service, which apply only to users who downloaded the free AIM software on or after Feb. 5, 2004, gives AOL the right to "reproduce, display, perform, distribute, adapt and promote" all content distributed across the chat network by users.

"You waive any right to privacy. You waive any right to inspect or approve uses of the content or to be compensated for any such uses," according to the AIM terms-of-service.

Although the user will retain ownership of the content passed through the AIM network, the terms give AOL ownership of "all right, title and interest in any compilation, collective work or other derivative work created by AOL using or incorporating this [user] content.

"In addition, by posting content on an AIM Product, you grant AOL, its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, assigns, agents and licensees the irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide right to reproduce, display, perform, distribute, adapt and promote this content in any medium," it added.