AOhell

I look at AOL as a great resource for those older grandpas and grandmas who have no clue. They can log in and there email is there with a great portal of web links and pretty pictures for them to click on. But are they making it too easy?
Today I needed to help a middle aged woman just get to AOL. She had no idea how a URL worked and that you could just type in AOL.com in the web browser, press enter and it would take you to the AOL. Wow.
Is AOL enabling these people to become total computer noobs or is it user error?

Blog

June 22

Comments

 

  • nstryker
    hate something that has no effect on you?
  • Dave Z
    I hate AOL.

    Our pastor uses AOL. ( and a MAC )

    AOL email was a center piece of a movie.

    AOL is hard to clean off my computer.


    Dan are you a closet AOL user?
  • Dan
    <del datetime="2005-06-22T18:49:09+00:00"> since</del> because if there weren't the computer illiterate I wouldn't have a job.
  • AOL might make it easier for some people, but in some ways it fails at this too.

    Having everything together (web, e-mail, etc. in one app) with simple, obvious icons, etc. is a good idea for that kind of user, but AOL (these days at least - or last time I saw it) clutters it up with too many ads and other junk (especially proprietary AOL content) that it's still too confusing for a lot of people.

    IMHO, the ideal would be two simple interfaces in the app (with big buttons on the side or something to switch between them) - simple web browser email.

    I'd like to say that the time for this has come and gone, and everyone should just be able to understand the concept of "the internet", and separate "connection" from applications, etc. but I know that's not the case, and that's fine.
  • nstryker
    wrong with them being ignorant?
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