It’s been a while since my last post because there’s not been anything worthwhile to report on. I wouldn’t really say that this was even worthwhile to report on either, but it’s something new that I found so I thought I’d share it with you...

Cast your minds back to the 20th December 2005, when Google’s Time Warner’s AOL and Google to Expand Strategic Alliance press release mentioned something called AOL Marketplace (the emphasis being mine):

Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt said: “ [...] Today’s agreement leverages technologies from both companies to connect Google users worldwide to a wealth of new content. We’ve also created a simple way for AOL Marketplace advertisers to buy and place search-related advertising across the AOL network. [...] ”

...

The agreement’s broad range of new features for users and advertisers include:

• Creating an AOL Marketplace through white labeling of Google’s advertising technology - enabling AOL to sell search advertising directly to advertisers on AOL-owned properties;

...

AOL and Google have also agreed to extend the term of their existing European relationship, and, subject to mutual agreement, they may extend the AOL Marketplace internationally. In addition, Google, AOL and Time Warner may choose to expand the new partnership to Time Warner’s other advertising opportunities.

Whilst I was doing some ‘routine’ interrogations of Google’s services, I just saw the following for the first time:


You’re probably already used to seeing something similar, which would usually look something like this:


So, what’s an AOL Marketplace account? I’m assuming that it’s simply a Google Account by another name so that the AOL Marketplace users don’t get too confused. But that raises a couple more questions. What is the AOL Marketplace? And how do you access it?

Does anyone know...?

(Just for the record, at the time of writing this, a Google search for ["AOL Marketplace account"] returns zero results, so I’m guessing that nobody really knows just yet...)

Update: 13 September 2006 (00:26)

I’ve just noticed that AOL Marketplace account has now been updated to AOL Search Marketplace account instead:

Still no more clues as to what this is though...

(And just for the record, at the time of writing this update, a Google search for ["AOL Search Marketplace account"] returns zero results...)

Labels: aol, google

I'm afraid that AOL have overstepped the mark this time. Under normal circumstances, I stay well clear of AOL based on the principal that I've heard plenty stories about them allegedly ripping off customers who signed up for their free dial-up Internet trials. (This was, of course, many years ago - when you used to get an AOL CD through your door every few weeks - but first impressions and all that...) I've also recently been made aware of how AOL software can be practically impossible to get rid off, even if you choose not to install all the bloatware! Unfortunately, in this case I was installing AOL Instant Messenger because some colleagues use this as their preferred IM tool. Anyway, I'm going off at a tangent... which brings me quite nicely to WildTangent.

So, who or what is WildTangent? The first I heard of it was when I saw this:


Now, I wouldn't say I'm paranoid at all when it comes to the Internet, but I do find it interesting to see what sneaky web developers are trying to stuff into my cookies. I usually just click the Allow Cookie button and be done with it, but this alert caught me off guard because I didn't even have Internet Explorer open when it popped up – and it had a crazy looking icon in my Windows taskbar!

Admittedly, the first thing I thought was, “ARGH! VIRUS ALERT! EVACUATE THE AREA!!!” After I calmed myself down, I clicked Block Cookie and Googled [wildtangent]. The first result was for the company's website but the second result was PC Hell: How to Remove WildTangent. Now that sounded like something I wanted to read...

Having read that page, it appears that AOL partnered with WildTangent to provide games from within AOL Instant Messenger. Great. That sounds fun. But wait a minute... I don't remember giving my permission for WildTangent to install anything, so what the hell is this doing in my Add or Remove Programs window?


More to the point, what are they doing trying save cookies on my computer even though I've never been to their website and I'm not even browsing the Internet!?!

Oh... and I nearly forgot to mention that the AOL Instant Messenger license doesn't mention WildTangent anywhere!

The dirty bastards...

Update: 15 November 2005 (23:01)
Having uninstalled WildTangent via the Add or Remove Programs window, I'm still seeing parts of it scattered around my computer in the usual places - i.e. the Program Files folder and the registry. According to their website, I'm supposed to email their support department if this happens. BTW, just for the record, it's not spyware. It's just unwanted and annoying.

Labels: aol, personal, rant