Google goes Facebook, AIM goes Twitter

[cos]

AIM has added a new "lifestream" that publicizes your status changes, twitter-style, and is public by default. Apparently, according to antimony, they also make it visible to other people when you "friend" them, which I think means add to your buddy list. If you want to make your "lifestream" not public, go to http://lifestream.aim.com/settings and log in and change your settings. I don't know if there's a way to restore the former ability to add people to your buddy list privately.

Comments

[nimocynth.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the privacy heads-up!

[hawver.livejournal.com]

Anyone using the standard AIM client needs to get their head examined.

[sauergeek.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the heads up. I'll signal boost once I have real Internet access again.

[kirin]

Hmm. When I go to that URL all I get is a "What is Lifestream?" graphics, a broken help panel, and a "Get a Screen Name" button. Do you have to already be logged in elsewhere for it to work? There's no login option on the page itself.

[nurrynur.livejournal.com]

Argh! Thanks, I've changed my settings.

[seventorches.livejournal.com]

I never use staus updates and as far as I know, AIM isn't hooked up to any of my other social networking tools (I have FB, LJ, Flickr, Twitter). I don't otherwise have an AOL account. Does that matter? Can I just leave it alone if I don't already have these things loaded up?

[antimony.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the signal boost -- it may not bother some people, but I know a bunch of people who were really, really upset over it. (I was somewhere in between.)

[keshwyn]

Interesting. I was already private.

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the heads up - I'm sick of these services announcing my online social behavior to the whole world (and very directly to anyone I've ever talked to) without so much as a by-your-leave.

[lordling.livejournal.com]

Oh man, thank you tons for the heads up.