AffectionateDan
1st Level Black Feather
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2002
- Messages
- 8,115
- Points
- 36
I've never used AOL Instant Messenger, just regular AOL, and even the version I use is old, so I'm looking for a little help.
Once upon a time, when Danimal was a newly divorced grizz and just starting his online explorations into the veritable plethora of tickling-related sites he was discovering, he had a Screen Name that was very provocative, with a profile that was completely honest about the love of tickling and it's many levels. The logic behind that honesty being that, if someone was interested enough and/or shared that interest, they'd seek me out and we'd have that in common already, no beating around the bush about it, and anyone scared off by it wouldn't bother to waste the time. So, with that in mind, I happily surfed to my heart's content, safe in the knowledge that my vanilla world was still insolated and no way they'd connect the other one to me. UNTIL... my ex-sister-in-law (ex-wife's sister) emailed me at my vanilla email address, which all of the family of course has, and asked me very specifically, "Are you also Such-and-Such screen name on AOL?". I was terrified that something so personal could become common knowledge to the family and friends, so I denied it was me and promptly deleted the screen name. It never came up again, but I've been wondering about it ever since. How the hell could she have known it was me? Maybe having done a search for the same topic, and put two and two together? She and I shared many tickles over the years I was married to her sister, so this preyed on me. Maybe she was "one of us". No way to know without asking very specific questions that'd give me away, so it's waited this long. Now that I know I'm not alone in this, indeed, our numbers are legion, and I've grown so comfortable with this part of me, I resolved to ask her about it. We saw each other at the mall recently, and sat and caught up, as it's been a long time since we'd seen one another. This was the chance I'd been waiting for. So, I asked her if she remembered, and I could tell she was wracking her brain trying to recall the incident, but she's either Acadamy Award caliber actress material, or she really didn't remember the details. Without getting to the specifics, I told her why I'd asked. Her explaination was to the effect of, she didn't have AOL back then, only AIM. And she'd see me whenever I was signed on as my vanilla Screen Name. But then, as you fellow AOL users do just as I do, when I'd switch to another SN, she claimed that this other name would pop up on her Buddy List simultaneously as I was leaving the other one. Which, of course, makes perfect sense, BUT... It's always been my impression that in order for you to SEE a person on your Buddy List, you have to PUT their name on that list. Now, I don't know jack spit about AIM, so that could be true, or she could've been covering because she was afraid that I'd uncovered her deep dark secret. I know that on regular old AOL, you only see the names on your lists that you've put up there, and if you don't know all of their SN's, of course you're not going to see them pop up on whichever one they've switched to, they'd just appear to sign off and disappear. So! I put it to you, Gang. Was she blowing smoke and mirrors? Or is my ignorance of how AIM works showing here? Sounds like bunk shrooms to me, but gimme a lil' help, here? 😕
Once upon a time, when Danimal was a newly divorced grizz and just starting his online explorations into the veritable plethora of tickling-related sites he was discovering, he had a Screen Name that was very provocative, with a profile that was completely honest about the love of tickling and it's many levels. The logic behind that honesty being that, if someone was interested enough and/or shared that interest, they'd seek me out and we'd have that in common already, no beating around the bush about it, and anyone scared off by it wouldn't bother to waste the time. So, with that in mind, I happily surfed to my heart's content, safe in the knowledge that my vanilla world was still insolated and no way they'd connect the other one to me. UNTIL... my ex-sister-in-law (ex-wife's sister) emailed me at my vanilla email address, which all of the family of course has, and asked me very specifically, "Are you also Such-and-Such screen name on AOL?". I was terrified that something so personal could become common knowledge to the family and friends, so I denied it was me and promptly deleted the screen name. It never came up again, but I've been wondering about it ever since. How the hell could she have known it was me? Maybe having done a search for the same topic, and put two and two together? She and I shared many tickles over the years I was married to her sister, so this preyed on me. Maybe she was "one of us". No way to know without asking very specific questions that'd give me away, so it's waited this long. Now that I know I'm not alone in this, indeed, our numbers are legion, and I've grown so comfortable with this part of me, I resolved to ask her about it. We saw each other at the mall recently, and sat and caught up, as it's been a long time since we'd seen one another. This was the chance I'd been waiting for. So, I asked her if she remembered, and I could tell she was wracking her brain trying to recall the incident, but she's either Acadamy Award caliber actress material, or she really didn't remember the details. Without getting to the specifics, I told her why I'd asked. Her explaination was to the effect of, she didn't have AOL back then, only AIM. And she'd see me whenever I was signed on as my vanilla Screen Name. But then, as you fellow AOL users do just as I do, when I'd switch to another SN, she claimed that this other name would pop up on her Buddy List simultaneously as I was leaving the other one. Which, of course, makes perfect sense, BUT... It's always been my impression that in order for you to SEE a person on your Buddy List, you have to PUT their name on that list. Now, I don't know jack spit about AIM, so that could be true, or she could've been covering because she was afraid that I'd uncovered her deep dark secret. I know that on regular old AOL, you only see the names on your lists that you've put up there, and if you don't know all of their SN's, of course you're not going to see them pop up on whichever one they've switched to, they'd just appear to sign off and disappear. So! I put it to you, Gang. Was she blowing smoke and mirrors? Or is my ignorance of how AIM works showing here? Sounds like bunk shrooms to me, but gimme a lil' help, here? 😕
To my knowledge I know of no way of a screen name being on AIM unless put there. It doesn't just appear. Was this woman at any time on your PC and could have seen the screen name there?
