Feedback Friday - Feb. 6, 2009
Posted Feb 6th 2009 5:55PM by Lee Givens
Filed under: Member Education, General
Yes, it's Friday and for the first time in 2009, Feedback Friday has returned!
Today, I want to focus on a few comments I've been receiving on the Mac@AOL Blog and through the Feedback links on our Mac products. I'll dive right in.
Question: AIM Logging! I can't use AIM without the ability of saving my IM conversations.
Answer: Stay tuned to the Mac@AOL Blog on this one. Just a hint, I'm a big fan of IM conversation logging :)
Question: I would like to see Audio/Video support in AIM for Mac.
Need More Feedback: Here's something that's been difficult for Mac users. Compatible Mac to PC video conferencing or iChat AV to AIM on Windows video conferencing. Yes, I have a sister in California that hasn't switched to Mac (my big sister bought a MacBook Pro last year!) and finding a cross-platform A/V chat solution wasn't easy.
If you're a fan of A/V chat and would like to see it in AIM for Mac, could you please leave a comment with the following bits of info:
I will share the comments with the team.
Question: How do I remove (hide) my offline Buddies from my Buddy List in AIM for Mac?
This is an easy one. Just select View>Offline Buddies>Show as One Group (AOL Desktop Users select AIM>Offline Buddies>Show as One Group (as one Group from the AIM menu item and that's it. Nice and tidy Buddy List. You can also hide Offline Buddies by selecting Do Not Show.
Please stay tuned to the Mac@AOL Blog for upcoming information on our next round of AOL Mac apps that will be heading to beta testing soon!
thanks,
Lee Givens
AOL Mac/iPhone Product Lead
Today, I want to focus on a few comments I've been receiving on the Mac@AOL Blog and through the Feedback links on our Mac products. I'll dive right in.
Question: AIM Logging! I can't use AIM without the ability of saving my IM conversations.
Answer: Stay tuned to the Mac@AOL Blog on this one. Just a hint, I'm a big fan of IM conversation logging :)
Question: I would like to see Audio/Video support in AIM for Mac.
Need More Feedback: Here's something that's been difficult for Mac users. Compatible Mac to PC video conferencing or iChat AV to AIM on Windows video conferencing. Yes, I have a sister in California that hasn't switched to Mac (my big sister bought a MacBook Pro last year!) and finding a cross-platform A/V chat solution wasn't easy.
If you're a fan of A/V chat and would like to see it in AIM for Mac, could you please leave a comment with the following bits of info:
1. How often do you start a video chat? How long do your sessions last?
2. Do you use A/V special effects in iChat?
3. Do you video chat with Windows Buddies?
I will share the comments with the team.
Question: How do I remove (hide) my offline Buddies from my Buddy List in AIM for Mac?
This is an easy one. Just select View>Offline Buddies>Show as One Group (AOL Desktop Users select AIM>Offline Buddies>Show as One Group (as one Group from the AIM menu item and that's it. Nice and tidy Buddy List. You can also hide Offline Buddies by selecting Do Not Show.
Please stay tuned to the Mac@AOL Blog for upcoming information on our next round of AOL Mac apps that will be heading to beta testing soon!
thanks,
Lee Givens
AOL Mac/iPhone Product Lead
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About The Team
Welcome to the Mac@AOL Blog. My name is Lee Givens and I'm the Product Lead for the Mac and iPhone products at AOL. You can find the latest information on AOL's software development on the Mac and any cool happenings at AOL. The purpose of the blog is to create a feedback loop so we can hear from our loyal AOL Mac users. Managing a blog is a lot of work, so I enlisted support from the whole team...the Mac team is made up of dedicated Macintosh developers, QA engineers and Product folks.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1. 1. How often do you start a video chat? How long do your sessions last?
Several times a week. I have a sister (with her family) overseas and this is the easiest way for us to talk/see each other.
2. Do you use A/V special effects in iChat?
I have not used it yet, no.
3. Do you video chat with Windows Buddies?
Yes. Sometimes you get tired of typing everything!
Posted at 10:54PM on Feb 7th 2009 by shurgood
2. i feel dumb for not figuring out how to hide offline buddies, thank you.
Posted at 11:31AM on Feb 8th 2009 by james lyons
3. Very frustrated. Can't open Desktop with a prompt to download DESKTOP every time I have attempted to get to aol. I think I've had over 100 PROMPTS because you want me to download
telling me I MUST down load 1.5 Beta or I get kicked off!!!!. Than I can' even get on Line. I am way past frustrated and may leave you after 25yrs. Allen.760-431-5555.
Posted at 1:19AM on Feb 8th 2009 by quixstarter
4. 1. How often do you start a video chat? How long do your sessions last?
My fiance is from Croatia and he speaks to his family there quite often (he's resorted to using Skype, but would prefer using AIM). He uses it at least once a week.
I talk to my sorority sisters who are now scattered across the US. AIM is what everyone had when we started college... so it's easier to keep all of our same screen names.
On average we use Video Chat at least 4x a week.
2. Do you use A/V special effects in iChat?
Not often... but it's fun to have the ability to make the other person laugh ;)
3. Do you video chat with Windows Buddies?
If you are asking if I chat with "Windows Users" then yes... I can't get them to switch to a Mac.. they just don't understand what they are missing out ;)
If you are asking if I chat with "Windows Messenger" buddies, then no.. never.
PLEASE MAKE A/V CHATS AVAILABLE!! I'm finding that chatting with PC users via iChat is not reliable at all. I think this is a major major flaw in this program. The majority of Mac users have the built in i-sight so why didn't this get put into it from the get go? Doesn't make sense whatsoever.
Thanks for listening!
Posted at 3:11PM on Feb 8th 2009 by Kim
5. AIM>Settings>IM>default fonts. there's only a certain number of fonts you can pick from. how do you add to this list? can you fix this please? majorly frustrating that I have to change my font every single time I recieve/send an IM.
Posted at 11:09PM on Feb 8th 2009 by Marisa
6. When do improvements and fixes get added to AOL Desktop, or do trhey? Do we have to wait for a new version?? Thanks
Brian McMahon
Posted at 9:11PM on Feb 10th 2009 by bpm77
7. 1. How often do you start a video chat? How long do your sessions last?
Once in a while. I prefer Adium to iChat, however I do occasionally video chat with a couple people from time to time. On average I'd say my sessions last about 20 minutes.
2. Do you use A/V special effects in iChat?
I do. Mostly custom effects.
3. Do you video chat with Windows Buddies?
I'd say 90% of the people on my buddy list are Windows users. When I video chat, 100% of them are using Windows.
A/V in AIM for Mac would be great. I'd say that would be one killer feature that would perhaps lure people back to AIM from iChat/Adium.
Posted at 12:02PM on Feb 9th 2009 by mynameiswerd2
8. 1. How often do you start a video chat? How long do your sessions last?
About once a month or two. Would use it a lot more often but it works poorly (poor picture, audio delay) using iChat on my end and AIM for Windows on the other end. Hard to tell where the problem is. My parents aren't very sophisticated users so troubleshooting is difficult. Perhaps you should just work with Apple to fix that instead of developing another video chat tool. I'm thinking of trying Skype next.
2. Do you use A/V special effects in iChat?
I have used them a bit but wouldn't miss them if they were gone. Like iChat theater though.
3. Do you video chat with Windows Buddies?
Yes, doesn't work well. See question 1.
Posted at 1:33AM on Feb 10th 2009 by Scott
9. aol desktop for mac is terrible. suppoort for desktop for mac is
terrible. one really has to wonder what there is to stick around
for. i have been a longtime aol customer and service and features
have declined to the point that there is no real reason for aol to
exist any more
Posted at 12:13AM on Feb 11th 2009 by dale
10. 1. I use video several times a week.
2. No, do not use video effects, but love iChat theater and screen sharing
3. Yes, about 1/2 is with Windows users.
Posted at 9:02AM on Feb 14th 2009 by tooki
11. Adding my vote for logging. Eagerly awaiting news. Also, please add drag-n-drop from Buddy List to active chat to add additional chatees. Drag-n-drop is in the old 4.7 for Mac, and is in Windows 6 AIM (as is logging).
Posted at 6:55PM on Feb 15th 2009 by Roger D. Parish
12. P.S. Regarding my request for logging, I want it in BOTH Chat and IM.
Posted at 6:59PM on Feb 15th 2009 by Roger D. Parish
13. I use a/v chat all the time! That's the only thing that keeps me with ichat, but using aim on ichat is just not reliable.
If AIM for Mac had video it would hopefully address the problems since it would be based on all the same aol back-end processes.
Posted at 6:17PM on Feb 20th 2009 by Brad
14. I realize I missed the o-fficial Feedback Friday but there is IMO a serious usability issue with AOL Desktop for Mac 1.5. My wife (a photographer) can't receive Shared Pictures, the sender (me) using AIM on WinXP sees a message stating that the functionality is not enabled. She can send them but can't receive them. She can however send and receive shared pictures with iChat yet this results in multiple IM windows for EVERY IM, one in the AOL client and another in iChat. Setting the preferred IM client to iChat does not resolve the multiple IM windows issue. Furthermore, there is apparently NO WAY for users to disable AIM/Buddy List in the client. Contacted AOL Help, their solution? Log off of AOL every time you want to send an IM...seriously! I saved the IM log it was so ridiculous.
Questions:
1) Why can't my wife receive image via Picture Sharing in Desktop for Mac?
2) In the absence of Picture Sharing, why can't users disable AIM/Buddy List in the client. Why does AOL assume every client user wants to use their IM software?!
Posted at 3:46PM on Mar 10th 2009 by Me Read Good
15. 1. How often do you start a video chat?
a few times a day
How long do your sessions last?
half an hour
2. Do you use A/V special effects in iChat?
yes
3. Do you video chat with Windows Buddies?
yes
Posted at 12:03PM on Mar 20th 2009 by Mike