----- Original Message -----
From: "Mary Krugman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2001 10:35 AM
Subject: Re: AOL whining


> In a message dated 12/6/2001 10:15:13 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> >  So how do you change providers without
> >  sending your saved internet world into chaos?
>
> My approach is to slowly!  Run parallel systems for a few months. I'm open
to
> other ideas though. Anyone?
>
> M

hello all you souls in AO-Hell, as my brother calls it...

if the problems to which you're referring are  loosing all your book marks
and addresses and stuff like that, be aware that most other ISP's provide
you with a version of Outlook Express or something similar, when you sign up
with them, as well as Internet Explorer and/or Netscape...

and all those programs let you import that sort of data from other
programs...

I haven't seen AOL software in a long time, but I bet there is an option
somewhere for backing up your saved messages, address book, etc,  OR a "save
as" option... or an "export" option... check your AOL help files for an
"export" command-- they MIGHT tell you how to quit !!  ;)

here is a sample instruction from Outlook Express help:
(IE is similar)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To import an address book from another program:

You can import address book contacts from other Windows Address Book files
(WAB), as well as from Netscape Communicator, Microsoft Exchange Personal
Address Book, or any text (CSV) file.

For Windows Address Book files:

In Address Book, click the File menu, point to Import, and then click
Address Book (WAB).
Locate and select the address book you want to import, and then click Open.

For all other address book formats:

In the Address Book, click the File menu, point to Import, and then click
Other Address Book.
Click the address book or file type you want to import, and then click
Import.

If your address book is not listed, you can export it to either a text (CSV)
file or an LDIF (LDAP Directory Interchange Format) file, and then import it
using that file type.

[this would probably be how you get AOL info out of AO-Hell  ;)   ]

~~~~~~~~~~~~
when I changed providers, I sent a message to everyone in my address book
advising of the change, then forwarded messages from my old account  and
sent everyone who wrote me at the old address an autoresponse from the new
account  for about a month after that -- all except the spammers  :)
then closed up shop...

another nice feature of OE and other mailer programs like eudora, is the
ability to sort your mail as it comes in, using the "message rules"
feature...
I sort my BP mail into a BP inbox, so I keep it separate from other mail
(I'm on several lists, so I sort each list out from all my other personal
mail)...

re: spam
a thing that I do to eliminate spam on my account is this: I have a second
account, my "junk" account, on yahoo, that I use when ordering something
online, making an inquiry, etc... that way, when my address gets passed
around, it's the "junk account" address, so I don't get spam on debcaves...

I have info regarding yahoo groups also, as I administer a couple of
yahoogroups, and can answer pighabit sign up problems questions...  if you
are a new subscriber, it helps if you already have a yahoo account  ;)
you could use a yahoo "junk" email account to sign in with,  kill two birds
with one stone   ;)

good luck,

[log in to unmask] , aka [log in to unmask] , [log in to unmask] ,
etc etc etc