The ProVirtual Blog

AOL: Still evil after all these years

I notice that all my AOL contacts have little text ads in their emails. As AOL charges $25+ or so a month for their crappy, ad-laden, computer-clogging internet service, I think they can do without sneaking text ads in their email messages... just a thought.

The really galling part is that AOL users seem to be unaware of the fact that AOL is sneaking text ads into their messages. I was curious about this, so I have been asking. Not one seems to know this is going on. One thought it was coming from my reply. Nope.

Click on the picture to see an enlarged screenshot of an AOL message (personal info & message text greyed out).

Also note the extra-annoying forwarded message attachment (inline an option here?).

Don't Check Domain Availability at Network Solutions - They Will Hold It Hostage

A contact of one of my clients recently tried check the availability of a domain name with two registrars, GoDaddy and Network Solutions. Network Solutions was attempted first, and the domain appeared to be available. In the shopping-around process, GoDaddy was checked, and the domain came up as unavailable. Another provider was also checked - and sure enough - the domain was unavailable.

Hmmm... strange, that is. Upon trying to purchase the domain with Network Solutions, the price mysteriously jumped from $9.00 to $34.99. Looks like NetSol is squatting, perhaps? Oddly, the WHOIS doesn't have any info about the owner. I've been doing hosting & domains for years - and have never seen this.

Turns out that NetSol is basically "registering" domain names that people enter in for availability checks - then attempting to sell the domain back (and misrepresenting its availability) at a wildly inflated price. This removes the domain from general availability for all registrars and can't be sold anywhere else for 5 days because of the registrar 5-day grace period (another stupid ICANN policy that encourgages "tasting") - thus holding the domain hostage.

The DomainTools Blog has a detailed explanation of this here.

Why is Network Solutions still an accredited registrar?