Question on AOL/Proxy???

Hi,I have read quite a few times on the boards about not being able to use AOL for offers because it breaks TSO rules.

Now...I don't have AOL, but I want to be able to warn anyone that does an offer for me and I'm a little confused.

Is there and AOL internet service, like IE or firefox, that they are not allowed to use or are they not allowed to sign up with an AOL email address? Or both?

Can someone please clarify this for me, so I can state it correctly.



thanks.

Maybe someone else will have a clearer understanding, but what I understand of it is that aol changes your ip address so that you don't always have the same each time you log into a site. This way, the sites are not able to verify that it is you each time, and they also might already have someone else signed up under the ip address you are using. Did that help at all?

Maybe....so is there an AOL internet connection like IE or firefox? I never knew this if there is one and maybe that's why I'm confused.

AOL is the "connection" that connects your computer to the internet. You can then use IE or other browsers, but you are still connected through AOL, which is the problem. AOL uses a proxy which changes your IP each time you log on (thus making it impossible for sites to verify your account by IP).

It's not just offers that don't allow it - most networks will not allow users with AOL. I've been trying to find which ones do, since my daughter has AOL at her place, but the only one I've been able to find for sure so far is Officially4Free.

Laurel

AOL used to have their own custom browser but now work with any browser. The browser itself is irrelevant, it's the underlying AOL ISP server that is the problem.

Technically, AOL doesn't just change your IP every time you login. In fact AOL offers broadband services that are "always on" just like any other broadband, so that you don't regularly "login." An IP changing on login would happen with any dial-up service and should not present a problem, as that IP is assigned directly to YOU at that point in time and does not change until you hangup. If only that were all AOL did, then AOL wouldn't be a problem.

AOL dynamically routes all web traffic through an entire [icdeb0806c0]network[/icdeb0806c0] of proxies, and it changes them on the fly, usually from one browser click to another. Therefore the server sees you coming from a different IP address for almost [icdeb0806c0]every page you load[/icdeb0806c0] in your browser, even within one session. For example, you could come here to FiPG, login, and make 5 posts. We record your IP address for each post you make, and I could look at those 5 posts that you just made during a single FiPG surfing session, and I would probably see 5 different IP's. Now imagine a site owner that tracks IP's across different clicks on their site, and you could see how that could present an issue with tracking users by IP. Compound that by the chance that multiple AOL customers could be seen coming from the same IP during the same session, and you see how some sites just don't want to bother. Some sites have more sophisticated fraud detection procedures that can work through the AOL issue, so it pays to do your homework first if you're an AOL customer.

[icdeb0806c0]Edited for clarification[/icdeb0806c0]

Thanks, David. You techie people amaze me.......... some days I'm doing good just to push the on button and get here at all.


Laurel

Thanks... that helps. so you can still sign up with an aol email, it just you can't sign up on sites or do the offers if you use AOL to connect to the internet. At least on most of the sites anyway.

Thanks again...

Another quick question to clarify... If someone is using AOL to connect to the internet, there is nothing they can do to avoid these issues...Right? They would need to find another service to use to connect to the internet. Do I understand this correctly?

[quote2d014e2621="Trkckc"]Another quick question to clarify... If someone is using AOL to connect to the internet, there is nothing they can do to avoid these issues...Right? They would need to find another service to use to connect to the internet. Do I understand this correctly?[/quote2d014e2621]
That is correct.

Thanks again...

Good information Thankyou David.

Do other internet services such as MSN or Netzero do this?

Hello, I just read your post =click here=[=http//forum.freeipodguide.com/viewtopic.php?p=609030&highlight=aol+isp#609030]=click here= and first wanted to thank you for the post! As I have a referral that wants to join under me and just informed me that they have AOL! so thank you for that!
second I have been told to remove my winzy from my signature from other members. I understand that is is still considered a referral link. could you tell me what is the stand on that issue?
thank you,
cary

[quoted659fa2cc8="ASharpEdge"]second I have been told to remove my winzy from my signature from other members. I understand that is is still considered a referral link. could you tell me what is the stand on that issue?
thank you,
cary[/quoted659fa2cc8]
Yes, a complete Winzy link as copied from your account page contains your username on the end, and is a referral link. You can edit the link by removing all but http//www.winzy.com from the HTML, and it will be okay.

It's fine to offer your referral link to people that want to ask for it via PM, you just can't post it -- or any other referral link [id659fa2cc8]except[/id659fa2cc8] for FusionCash links -- directly in the forums.

I didn't know we could put FusionCash referral links! shock

I probably still won't put mine in my sig, but still...sweet I guess.

Thank You for the clarification on the ref links!

A Question..
I thought I read somewhere that People PC was a proxy. Does anyone know that to be true?

[quote5c60798589="ASharpEdge"]Thank You for the clarification on the ref links!

A Question..
I thought I read somewhere that People PC was a proxy. Does anyone know that to be true?[/quote5c60798589]
People PC is an ISP, not a proxy. Whether they [i5c60798589]use[/i5c60798589] proxies or not, I'm not sure. Never had any experience with them.

I am bumping this because so many have asked me about ip addresses.