posted
This morning, when I connected to the internet, I got the following message from AIM:
quote:12:51:30 PM aolsystemmsg: AIM added a new AIM Bots group to your Buddy List. 12:51:30 PM aolsystemmsg: Send IMs to moviefone and shoppingbuddy for great holiday flicks and gift ideas. (To remove 'em, just right-click and delete! Learn More)
Sure enough, there at the bottom of my buddy list was a new group called "AIM bots" with two bots named "Moviefone" and "ShoppingBuddy."
Has anyone else received this shameless bit of advertising? Posts: 5771 | Registered: Nov 2000
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quote:1:03:49 PM aolsystemmsg: The following bots are no longer available and have been removed from your buddy list: moviefone. To find out more about bots, go to http://aimtoday.aol.com/aimbots
More shameless advertising. Posts: 5771 | Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
DeadAim rocks. I, too, lost mine when I had a system snafu, but I went and bought it again because I love it so much.
AIM bots are cool--but then I'm prejudiced, as I run a few. However, it is very, very uncool of AOL to automatically add the bots to your Buddy List. I hate intrusive marketing, and this is definitely intrusive. Bad AOL!
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Ela: Sure enough, there at the bottom of my buddy list was a new group called "AIM bots" with two bots named "Moviefone" and "ShoppingBuddy."
Has anyone else received this shameless bit of advertising?
Pshht... mine brazenly appeared at the TOP of my buddy list. Grr!
Posts: 7877 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
Yea mine were at the top too. I checked the bottom first because of this thread, and was happy that they weren't there. But then surprise surprise they were chillin' at the top.
Posts: 2867 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
On another AIM note... I really recommend NOT downloading the new AIM Beta. The ad on your buddy list is no longer there, and replacing it are even more annoying ads on every IM box.
Posts: 4292 | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
Is it ok to be jealous that i didn't get something I don't want? Because I've been on for 21 hours, and no bots added, but I have had my away message up most of the day.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Ela: Sure enough, there at the bottom of my buddy list was a new group called "AIM bots" with two bots named "Moviefone" and "ShoppingBuddy."
Has anyone else received this shameless bit of advertising?
Pshht... mine brazenly appeared at the TOP of my buddy list. Grr!
mine too, i was insulted at the presumption, of being at the top. Hmph.
Posts: 376 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
I can't delete them. I usually pride myself on my computer savvy but aol and it's insidious marketing has defeated me on this one. I'm on a mac laptop. Whenever I ctrl click the menu comes up but there is no delete option. Help!
Okay, I deleted them, but I'm wondering how do I delete people from the online list?
Posts: 250 | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
I had 2 AimBots this morning, and I kinda freaked out because I thought I had a virus or spyware or something. But I deleted them right away. Posts: 4174 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
My AIM bots had a discussion with aolsystemmsg about the new bots. I am greatly amused, and post it here for your enjoyment.
(I changed the name of some of my bots as some of them are for private use).
quote: Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:07 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] AIM added a new AIM Bots group to your Buddy List. ChaosAIM: [omg_fake_name] I FIND THIS SUBJECT BORING.
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:07 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] AIM added a new AIM Bots group to your Buddy List. ChaosAIM: [fakebotname1] Let's talk about something else, please.
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:07 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] AIM added a new AIM Bots group to your Buddy List. ChaosAIM: [wibblebot01] Tell me more about that.
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:07 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] Send IMs to moviefone and shoppingbuddy for great holiday flicks and gift ideas. (To remove 'em, just right-click and delete! Learn More) ChaosAIM: [wibblebot01] Is this what you do in your free time?
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:07 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] Send IMs to moviefone and shoppingbuddy for great holiday flicks and gift ideas. (To remove 'em, just right-click and delete! Learn More) ChaosAIM: [omg_fake_name] YEAH?
=== spacedbot is joining cadetchat === === not_real_name is joining notrealchat ===
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:07 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] Send IMs to moviefone and shoppingbuddy for great holiday flicks and gift ideas. (To remove 'em, just right-click and delete! Learn More) ChaosAIM: [fakebotname1] Astounding.
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:07 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] AIM added a new AIM Bots group to your Buddy List. ChaosAIM: [spoilerchatbot] This is an interesting topic.
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:07 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] AIM added a new AIM Bots group to your Buddy List. ChaosAIM: [spacedbot] What do you do in your free time?
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:07 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] Send IMs to moviefone and shoppingbuddy for great holiday flicks and gift ideas. (To remove 'em, just right-click and delete! Learn More) ChaosAIM: [spacedbot] This is an interesting topic.
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:07 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] AIM added a new AIM Bots group to your Buddy List. ChaosAIM: [not_real_name] Go on...
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:07 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] Send IMs to moviefone and shoppingbuddy for great holiday flicks and gift ideas. (To remove 'em, just right-click and delete! Learn More) ChaosAIM: [not_real_name] Let's talk about something else, please.
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:07 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] Send IMs to moviefone and shoppingbuddy for great holid ay flicks and gift ideas. (To remove 'em, just right-click and delete! Learn Mor e) ChaosAIM: [spoilerchatbot] This is an interesting topic.
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:21 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] AOL System Msg menu: To manage your Instant Messaging sessions, choose an option below by responding with the option's number (1 or 2). 1. Sign off my AIM sessions connected from other locations (this will not disc onnect my AOL sessions) 2. Tell me how many times I'm currently signed on. ChaosAIM: [not_real_name] :-(
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:22 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] AOL System Msg menu: To manage your Instant Messaging sessions, choose an option below by responding with the option's number (1 or 2). 1. Sign off my AIM sessions connected from other locations (this will not disc onnect my AOL sessions) 2. Tell me how many times I'm currently signed on. ChaosAIM: [not_real_name] :-(
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:22 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] AOL System Msg menu: To manage your Instant Messaging sessions, choose an option below by responding with the option's number (1 or 2). 1. Sign off my AIM sessions connected from other locations (this will not disc onnect my AOL sessions) 2. Tell me how many times I'm currently signed on. ChaosAIM: [spoilerchatbot] :-(
Wednesday, November 16 2005 @ 7:6:27 PM ChaosAIM: [aolsystemmsg] AOL System Msg menu: To manage your Instant Messaging sessions, choose an option below by responding with the option's number (1 or 2). 1. Sign off my AIM sessions connected from other locations (this will not disc onnect my AOL sessions) 2. Tell me how many times I'm currently signed on. ChaosAIM: [spoilerchatbot] That's not very good.
posted
Hee! They're not really "chatterbot" types. They don't learn from their conversations, and have a very limited set of programmed responses. I made them to serve a purpose (be a resource for Harry Potter RPG fans) and they do that well. It's really fun to add new commands and features to them. But yeah, their conversational skills could use some work.
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
You know, I have to admit that I just don't "get" resource bots. I don't see the point. What possible purpose can they serve better than, say, a FAQ on a webpage?
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
I don't think they are any easier. If it's information that you need to reference frequently, it's far easier to have the site on a bookmarks bar.
Are there people who use resource bots who have a different opinion?
Posts: 5771 | Registered: Nov 2000
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My initial purpose for creating an AIM bot was to guard a chat room. My friends and I hung out in an AIM chatroom a lot to discuss nocturne_alley, a Harry Potter RPG. One day, my friend popped into chat when I was away from my computer for a few minutes. When she saw no one was talking, she left the chatroom. So I thought, "Wouldn't it be cool if we could have a bot that would greet people, or tell them that someone is AFK and will be back soon?"
Eventually I added some fun commands that would quickly get various stats about the game for us. Yes, these stats are available on webpages. But when chat was busy, it was much easier to ask the bot for the information rather than flip over to the web and browse for it. Plus, it was fun!
Is it better than a webpage? Eh. I could have made a webpage somewhere that would tabulate all the information at once (which actually would be very cool, and I might do that). And there's some benefits to a resource bot. Since they just send text, you can access them from mobile much more easily than you can access many websites.
And I learned Perl because of my bots. So I'd say it was worth it. My bots are much loved by the small community that uses them, too.
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
Oh, and here's another example that just happened this morning.
My dad comes over to my desk and asks me if I can access the company's intranet website. No, I can't--it seems to be down. I overhear other people talking about it. So I go over to my dad and ask him what he wanted to use the intranet for. He wanted to look up email addresses for a couple of FAs, which is what I thought.
So I told him about the directory bot we have here. He didn't know about it. I walked him through adding it to his Buddy list and sending a query. He was able to get the necessary emails that he'd been trying to get all morning--which is a long time, considering he starts work at 6:00 a.m.
My sister, who's an admin assistant uses the IM bot a lot, because it's actually TONS faster than the webpage. So it comes in very handy for her, as she looks up many people every day.
So yes, resource bots DO have their uses. Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
Its like asking, why have a javascript mapping API when people could just plug addresses into the mapping web page .
Just because information is available in one way does not mean there are circumstances where another way is preferable to access it. Among other things, a bot reduces the number of recall tasks one has to make, since the bot's name will indicate what information the bot is appropriate for, moving that to a recognition task.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Since then they've stayed gone, though.
