Talk:AOL Instant Messenger

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This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the AOL Instant Messenger article.
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[edit] Latest version

"Since version 2.0, AIM has included person-to-person text messaging, chatroom messaging, and the ability to share files peer-to-peer with one's buddies."

So before v2.0 it didn't do anything?

Is it worth it to try to keep up with the latest version of AIM, etc.? Yep, I'm trying to keep up on that

Also, It'd be neat to have some info about the history of AIM, including when it started. then y dont u just click on history on the top next to edit this page duhhh!!!--Cutie 4 life 23:18, 16 August 2006 (UTC) Please remember to include four tildes (~) after your comments to identify yourselves. Thesquire 04:37, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

Please note that I cleaned up parts of this page COMPLETELY. However, it doesn't mean i checked for sources. heyhey Hey 02:50, 12 February 2007 (UTC)


New AIM version out today.....6.8.7.7Terrorist96 (talk) 20:58, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Early versions of Triton only supported XP?

"The first renaming of the client was seen with the Beta 1 release (version 0.1.12) on April 25, 2005, and supported only Windows XP"

Can someone find a source for this because I know some of the Triton versions I've used ran on Windows 2000. SmartSped 22:55, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

Ok, I found out that it was true and added a source accordingly. SmartSped 02:53, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Spyware/Adware Controversy

I think it would be wise for someone to mention some of the negative aspects of AIM, for example its adware/spyware that is bundled with all modern versions. I stopped using AIM a few years ago. Ditched it for GAIM (and sometimes Kopete). Can someone who knows what is in it please post some stuff about it? I am aware of the one line "aim is an ad supported im program"; but I don't think that is enough. Many people will read that and never think about it. I believe it is especially important since it is listed on Spyware as a known program that is bundled with spyware. --Elysianfields 21:49, 14 August 2005 (UTC)

yeah it installs like some viewpoint media player or something, and it's slightly annoying to get rid of.

yea if u look up viewpoint on google or ask jeeves or something it says its spyware and some people dont so im not sure if it is or not. Call of duty 20:08, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

And what about when 5.5.3595 was bundled with Weatherbug? That was a real pain to get rid of. Never upgraded AIM again. Can't trust em. AlishaShatogi 209.83.11.171 10:17, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Chat rooms?

I think it might be of note that most of the chat rooms AIM uses are only fraction of what they used to be. Most official channels are filled with bots the simply spam the channel with advertisements and user-created channels (such as the formerly popular anime channel) are either filled with bots that either fill up the room (to the 36 user limit, leaving it off limits to _most_ people) and/or ban people on sight or simply flooded to be unintelligable. --TheSock 22:18, 2005 Jun 21 (UTC) i think it might be good chat rooms where no flud is there. and we i mean any one can have choice to add any thing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.187.133.181 (talk) 09:06, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Malware

I think that something MUST be said in this article about the malware AOL frequently uses AIM to distribute. Any comments? --24.118.77.253 00:39, 15 Mar 2005 (UTC)

  • I had written a balanced section on malware, risks and liabilities quite a few months ago (July 2007?). It was a part of the entry for quite some time, and I thought it was informative and important. It got deleted the other day by someone who had not been a regular contributor, so I re-wrote it and posted it again. Now it has been deleted again.
    I don't think it's appropriate for the malware section to be deleted just because people don't want their beloved AOL to have something negative written about it. AIM is a vector for viruses, trojans, and other malware, and people reading the wikipedia entry should get an informative balanced entry, including the risks of malware. I'm going to re-post a new malware section. -DKM- (talk) 22:54, 11 January 2008 (UTC)
    It's unsourced, it is relevant to the entire internet security / instant messaging domain, and you're not doing yourself any favours by making childish accusations about the editors in question being "beloved" of AOL. This is an encyclopedia, not a soapbox. Chris Cunningham (talk) 02:24, 12 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] AIM is not free

AIM is hardly gratis, as it is supported by advertising. For example, here's the ad-space at the top of the AIM 5.5 client:

Image:Aimad5.5.jpg

The best way to get around that is to get Trillian. That doesn't have the AOL advertising.

Actually, the best way to get around that is to get Gaim. It doesn't have tha AOL advertising, the bloat, the proprietary code, or the $25.00 fee. I should go to the Trillian page and make sure it's not called "free" either... -T2X 13:47, May 15, 2005 (UTC)

P2X just owned you. He's totally right and it supports more than 3 protocols.

AIM Lite is another good option. I just started using this, and so far I have no complaints. Drewface 01:25, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

OSCAR for AIM 2.0 is open, but incompatible with XMPP. You can now use third-party software using libpurple as well: http://dev.aol.com/aim 77.253.255.156 (talk) 13:47, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Add a link to obtain a ID

How about to add the link to obtain a FREE AOL ID it is hard to find it for me. Thanks! Added link under AIM Terminology to the first download page, which splits to a direct download or registration

You need an AIM Account not an AOL ID. They are two seperate and unrelated things. AIM users have access only to AIM and I think AIM Mail. AOL users have access to the complete services that AOL offers to paying customers. - Wmgries

[edit] How many users, exactly?

The article has "AIM has 195 million users (January 2003)", but this number seems unrealistically high.

On 3 May 2004, I got a response from AOL giving the following stats:

   AIM: 35 million monthly
   ICQ: 22 million monthly (8 million daily)
   AOL-IM: 13 million monthly

Did the number of users really fall by 160 million users within only one year, or was the original number simply way off the mark to begin with?


I believe it's likely that "195 million" was the number of 'registered' users(a.k.a. screennames), while the stats AIM gave you are the number of screennames regularly signing on to the service. --ElfWord 16:47, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

That's probably right. In which case, that "195 million" may as well include people who don't even sign in anymore. If you use anything else which required an AOL screenname, you'd end up in that count. Maybe the article should be changed to list the number of monthly users instead, as that's supposedly the standard statistic for IM usage.

195 million could also be the amount of downloads, since they've had nearly a 100 versions in the past decade. The most recent statistic (and most realistic) is "more than 40 million"; but that includes ICQ which is now merged (or at least compatible) with the OSCAR protocol. This was ran by Reuters and was a little fact thrown on the bottom of the google IM program article. [1] -Elysianfields 17:11, 30 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Link Spam?

At what point should we start culling the External Links section for Spam? The list downt here is awfully long, and people keep adding stuff to it. Thesquire 20:22, 6 November 2005 (UTC)

There's no time like the present, I've taken a couple thngs out over the last couple days. I think a examination is probably due. Rx StrangeLove 23:31, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
Like the two links two days ago to a single brand new site, or the four today all by "Binary Inertia"? I agree. I'll see about a proposed list of removals to bring links down to established AIM community resources. Cronus 21:42, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
  • The "See Also" section should probably stay, external links are the spam problem. Description tags for this section might also help.
  • The official site is obviously fine, and the Online Versions all look quite active and substantial.
  • Most "add-ons" are already listed in "See Also". Messenger:Mate should probably be moved up there, leaving AIMFix which is valuable and "IMOff" which is brand new and not so substantial yet (though hopefully will be in the future). I propose getting rid of the add-ons section, leaving AIMFix as a standalone link with a note about virus removal.
  • Third-Party clients all work, with only Jabber being out of place. Some are more active than others, but trying to cull that list would probably start a war
  • Utility AIM Bots was originally created with three services, only one has survived. DoorManBot should probably have an entry created and be moved to See Also, getting rid of this category
  • AIM Bot Creation all seem active except Ultra Hal, which seems to have been made part of a larger bundle with little to do with AIM. I'll probably remove this one unless somebody has more information
  • Profile Tools and Extensions is mostly spam. Buddy4u, Buddy Profile, and Subprofile seem to be the only three with substantial use. I couldn't look to much at Subprofile, but it was once THE profile service
  • Other is also mostly spam (though not quite "OtherOther" quality). AimFight is already in "See Also". What is left is mostly Icons, Away Messages, and other resources. Iconator seems to be far and away the most popular of the icon sites. None of the away message sites seem particularly substantial (to be fair, I'm not sure who would really want pre-made messages). AIMForum seems questionable, but there are no other forums, so it should probably stay. AIMFilez has not been updated for quite some time (years?) but was once THE AIM file resource, so it should also probably stay. The AIM URLs link is fairly informative and useful, written by the AIM client architect, so I'd also leave that.
  • Away Message sites are very popular, and merit being part of the Wiki on AIM. Just because you don't use them doesn't mean 8000 people a day don't. AIM Away Messages is the premier Away Message site.
  • Iconator might have the highest Alexa ranking, but Original Icons is the highest quality icon site with the most icons that are made by the webmaster and not copied.
By taking out the spam and moving a couple items into See Also (with brief descriptions) I think this will clean up nicely. Please leave comments. If there are no changes, I'll implement after 4-5 days. --Cronus 23:14, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
Sounds good -- Thesquire (talk - contribs) 23:29, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
I waited 10 days due to slight hosage, but it is done, with two changes from my proposal. I created "Useful Tools" for AIMFix (which needed a home) and DoorManBot (which I was going to create a separate entry for). Really, these two should probably have their own articles, but for now this heading will have to do. I also removed the Third-Party clients which were being duplicated from See Also. AIMutation needed a POV edit and the actual source/installer link added to its article. Things look a bit cleaner now, I can see all External Links on one page in my broswer. I guess this isn't the time to point out that neither the client I use nor another that many people I know use are linked to :-P

[edit] Article merge

I have merged the article AIM Closed List into this one. aliceinlampyland 11:05, 1 February 2006 (UTC).

[edit] Triton vs. versions before Triton

I would suggest listing the last version of "real AIM" (the last 5.9 version, forget the number becuase I cant stand using it) in addition to the newest "Triton" version. The Triton versions are completely different, and many people I have spoken with refuse to use it and intead use either 5.9 (despite its overly0large im boxes) or 5.5 (for sn linking) or the amazing 5.2.3292 (compromise between intrsive program and using the AIM chat service) version.

5.9 made everything huge and added too much clutter, but it allows imming while away 5.5 allows SN linking, but it also has some clutter 5.2 is pretty much as streamlined as AIM official clients get, but it lacks SN linking and talking while away...

again, while my semi-non-NPOV comments here should most definately not be put into the article, i feel something should also be listed as an offical current alternative to Triton, because Triton is just too intrusive and horrible for most people to tolerate

//MrD9 01:25, 13 February 2006 (UTC)

I recently installed the new version of AIM onto my laptop. I don't even know how to switch between fonts with Triton. There are 8 fricking fonts to choose from... and I haven't found a way to switch to the countless other fonts supported by earlier versions. I'm with the people you said you talked to earlier... I am too going to switch to my old trusty version soon. BirdValiant 02:15, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

I just tried Triton just today. It really really sucked. I mean, honestly, if AOL expects to release a new line of AIM clients, they should at least keep the old features of the original AIM, like being able to upload a buddy icon from your PC or being able to display the Away message without auto-responding with it.Viltris 02:56, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

But I think the whole one-window-many-boxes thing is cool. Organized. I'm not sure I understand the whole "listing" thing though. TommyBoy76 02:54, 23 May 2006 (UTC)TommyBoy76
DragoonWraith 01:46, 21 July 2006 (UTC): That was a standard feature of many 3rd party add-ons. I only tried Triton briefly, but it was awful. It lacked many features that I used quite regularly, and it had the worst performance of any program I've ever used, bar none. With only a browser and AIM Triton open, and 512 MB of RAM, I was seeing 15-30 second delays when attempting to switch between programs. Completely and utterly unacceptable. The 5.5whatever version is currently my favorite - 5.9 doesn't work with DeadAIM, my preferred add-on, and I like SN linking.

[edit] Triton v Triton Beta

What is the difference between Triton and Triton Beta? Which one is more advanced? I know Triton is in 1.04 (which is what I have), but Triton Beta is in 1.2-soemthing. Which one is newer software, more current and all? --CanesOL79 19:19, 15 February 2006 (UTC)

Well, knowing AOL, Triton Beta 1.2 is the newer one. Actually, I think Triton and Triton Beta are the same product line, just that Triton 1.2 is still in beta and Triton 1.0.4 is the stable version.Viltris 22:32, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

The BETA version has features like: you can actually download another expression from another site or from your computer, other than the selection Triton gives you. And if you rest your mouse on a screename in your buddylist it will show their online time, their icon, their away message (if up)....and other stuff, but I forget what. And I'm sure there are other differences, but those are the ones I noticed. TommyBoy76 02:51, 23 May 2006 (UTC)TommyBoy76

[edit] Comparison to other Instant Messaging Clients

More information about how AIM stacks up against other clients would be nice. After all, AIM is one of the most popular clients, but it lacks a -lot- of features other clients have had. Heck, ICQ had off-line messaging years ago. (I'm not sure if this didn't post the first time or if someone deleted it... I don't know why someone would just delete it from the talk page, though...) Ohemgee 05:34, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

(Apparently it was never posted "the first time" because you're only listed with one contribution on the history page. If it had been posted, you'd be able to see it in the history page for this talk page, regardless of someone deleting it. Talk pages have history pages just like articles do. - Slow Graffiti 23:22, 21 March 2006 (UTC))
I agree that some comments in the article about key feature comparisons, but which clients do you compare it to? Upon some investigation, I found an article about this exclusively - Comparison of instant messengers. A link to that article may be a worthy addition to the 'See also' section of this (AIM) article (much more worthy than many of the present links there). Some advantages or disadvantages pertaining to popular features of clients can be touched on in this article. I definitely support that, keeping in mind that it should not get too detailed here (in naming every feature or comparing to every other client) - that's what the Comparison of instant messengers article is for. - Slow Graffiti 23:40, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] AIM Updates

Is there a way to update versions? This could be useful in the article. I have an early Triton, and I'd like to get any patches as they come avalible.

No way to update versions. Just download the newest one. Or the BETA if it comes along. TommyBoy76 02:47, 23 May 2006 (UTC)TommyBoy76

[edit] cross platform compatibility

It would be useful to have a running list of version combinations that would work. For instance, iChat AV is supposed to interoperate with Triton but I'm having an awful time of it. If that's a known problem with certain version combinations or it never has worked, listing the issues would be helpful TMLutas 14:16, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] username removal?

Can you delete a username, or at least the personal info from it on AIM?--65.79.36.66 13:03, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Nope. TommyBoy76 02:44, 23 May 2006 (UTC)TommyBoy76
Although, I vaguely remember discussing with a couple of my buddies: the screename might just be deleted after a certain period of time of not using it. Only the same thing worded better. :) TommyBoy76 02:46, 23 May 2006 (UTC)TommyBoy76
DragoonWraith 01:50, 21 July 2006 (UTC): It might just be because the screenname got screwed up, but my original 'DragoonWraith' sn has never actually been used, and is still considered "taken" by AIM, and I created it years ago. I'm thinking sometime in 2002. On the other hand, while it is considered already taken if I try to register it, the password I gave it doesn't work, and attempting to have AIM e-mail me the password results in a message claiming that the SN doesn't exist. Yes, even though I can't register it because it's already used, it doesn't exist.

[edit] Triton Preview v. Triton Beta

The Beta version is 1.2.71.1. However, the Triton Preview version is 2.2.71.1. Which should we use? Also, it's the only one you can download, but should it replace the latest stable version?

The version number for some reason is a typo on the behalf of AOL. It's version 1.2.71.1 (I have that specific version, which I obtained from the AIM website), but for some reason someone there typed 2.2.71.1. Even the Triton beta project page says 1.2.71.1, and with AOL, I think beta and preview are interchangeable. I'm going to try to write to them to correct the typo, but when I corrected it here, it was reverted. I'm going to change it again, I guess. --Akira123323 Say what? | Track record 12:11, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Biasing, but not biased

"This approach typically makes use of a security hole in Microsoft Internet Explorer as the method of infection." i love how you can insult MSIE so easily, but while still being NPOV. I'm not complaining, I just think its interesting.

Um. Your mom. TommyBoy76 23:34, 22 July 2006 (UTC)
Seems fine to me. - Wmgries

[edit] Buddylist Image

someone replaced the screenshot of Triton with one of Pro. Which version should be in the infobox? --Zr2d2 14:12, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

As far as I can tell, Pro was not created by the same team as does the rest of AIM client development. Also considering that the client available from aim.com is Triton and not Pro, I would say Triton belongs there. (Pro might not have been built by an AIM team, but an outside developer using aimcc, but this might not be the case) --Cronus 06:14, 8 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] why cant i make an account

i put all the things to do and it says error and i tried logging in a few minutes after and i didnt log in. whats the matter with AIM?! Call of duty 21:09, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia is not an AIM support board. Please try AIM's website for technical help. — Nathan (talk) / 06:03, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Really kuz i have Ishvill68 and i havent been able to get on it even tho i have the password!

[edit] Triton as AIM Phone

I did not see mention of the fact that AIM will now give you a phone number, for free, that can be called from any phone. I'd like to know what the limits are on that service. Mathiastck 18:34, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Versions

I don't think this page should necessarily have a list of ALL versions avalible. What do you think? --Zr2d2 21:05, 20 October 2006 (UTC)

I agree. The edits solely regarding versions are getting out of hand and they're not encyclopedia-worthy to begin with Stoneice02 20:58, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Article picture

What operating system is the screen shot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Aim6.png for? It doesn't look like my AIM, I'm just wondering if my AIM is messing up.--Devourer09talk 01:23, 27 October 2006 (UTC)

Looks like Windows XP. --CanesOL79 13:42, 6 December 2006 (UTC)
its XP alright --Zr2d2 20:01, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] AIM 6.0 features

I did not see any of the new features listed for the new AIM 6.0 at all in this article. Should it be added? I would think it would be useful...

Yes, this article is for AIM itself, not the protocols it uses. Information about the program as currently available (AIM 6) is fairly important --Cronus 06:28, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

This article is very low on the AIM feature-set overall. It is notable that AIM 6.0 has SMS text messaging (i.e. direct to mobile phones), but I actually came to the page looking for the features list. Nothing! Centrepull (talk) 10:08, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Long screenshot?

Hello, uh, for the AIM article, does not the screenshot seem overly long to you? After all, only about 1/4th of the shot actually has stuff in it; the other 3/4ths is just blank space.. The shot is currently 179 x 571, which is very large, one has to scroll down alot to see version info, etc.. Looking at the shot, it appears that the window can be made smaller, but still, we only really need like a 179 x 3xx or something to that effect.. Comments? --Illyria05-- 01:11, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

I just came across the article and thought the same thing. I believe it could be cropped and nothing that adds to its meaning would be lost; any other opinions? - Minkus 09:25, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] List of social networking websites on AfD

List of social networking websites is currently a candidate for deletion. You are invited to partake in the discussion.--Crossmr 14:07, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Encyclopedic tone?

I'm concerned that this article lacks an encyclopedic tone at times. The section that most caught my attention was the bit on "how to block AIM ads" and other work-arounds or how-tos. While perhaps useful information for an AIM user, I doubt it belongs in an encyclopedia article. Is it worth throwing an approprate flag on this page?

ThaughtPolice 23:23, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Third-party clients

This article states, "However, the latest version of AOL Instant Messenger's software license does allow the use of third party clients, subject to the terms and conditions of that third party."

The Terms of Service at http://www.aim.com/tos/tos.adp seem to prohibit third party clients:

Restrictions on Access to or Use of AIM Products You may access AIM Products only through the interfaces and protocols provided or authorized by AOL. You agree that you will not access AIM Products through unauthorized means, such as unlicensed software clients, and that you will only use AIM Products in conjunction with AOL authorized products and components.

Is there any support for what is currently in the article? Should the article be changed to agree with the above TOS? Daviedoodle 20:05, 11 February 2007 (UTC)

Yes, this was the big news when they released OpenAIM last year. They have authorized users to create and distribute their own clients, within the bounds of their developer program (mainly restrictions against cell phone or multi-head clients). Take a look at the AIM developer program for more information.
--Cronus 00:11, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

--Sean 04:36, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

what is the other older online version of AIM called... not aim express.. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.105.176.241 (talk)

[edit] Redirect

When I type in "Warning level" - a chat room doesn't spring to mind. --MacRusgail 11:20, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

I fixed that, apparently the headline "Terminology" used to be "AIM Terminology" and the Warning Level page was trying to redirect there. --Hukt own fonikz 16:27, 14 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Number of buddies AIM saves

In one place in the article, under History, it says AIM 4.something started saving buddy lists of 600 users to the AIM server, but further down the article the number is quoted as 1000. Was 600 the initial number and it's increased to 1000? --Hukt own fonikz 16:24, 14 April 2007 (UTC)

the 5.x versions initially started with a limit of 200 total, 200 per group. the group limit has remained the same, but they gradually increased the total limits to 300, then 500, towards the eventual development of triton (now aim6). see [2]. the aim6 limit is now 1000 buddies (don't know the group limit as i've not the time to add that many fake s/ns to find the limit). Impasse 07:12, 27 August 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Impasse (talk • contribs)

[edit] Advertisement removal?

I'm wondering if the instructions shown to prevent showing advertisements in AIM's window have their place here. Following these instructions probably violates the license agreement or something, and might not be encyclopedic content... Your thoughts on that?

[edit] Versions section

Do you think the "Versions" sections should be split into three categorized versions or is that section even necessary? The version dates are out of order because the version numbers for different OS's were released at different times. There should be a Windows, Mac, and Linux order for version releases if the section stays. --ČσъяạβҜ †Talk† 03:08, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] XMPP support

The information about XMPP usage is a bit exaggerated. Yes, there was an XMPP login server working for about three days, but then it was shut down. It is not true that AIM users can now communicate using the standardized, open-source XMPP/Jabber protocol. Maybe in the future they will, but this was just a test. And we shall not forget that the server was still separated from the XMPP federation (no server-to-server communication). 195.22.34.22 (talk) 13:48, 11 February 2008 (UTC)

The XMPP for AOL is now sadly officially dead IMHO, since they opened th OSCAR protocol. More info here: http://dev.aol.com/aim 77.253.255.156 (talk) 13:44, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] AIM and Tencent QQ

The newest version of Aol Instant Messenger has a option to install a plugin called "QQ Games" the plugin has the same QQ penguin logog as tencent QQ...did the two companies cooperate?should we includ this in the wiki? DivineBaboon (talk) 07:02, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] "Free"

I removed "free" from the opening sentence. If anyone has a nice way to write that it's gratis without sounding too complicated, please do it. Writing "free" seems short and convenient, but it is confusing here on Wikipedia, which is itself free-as-in-speech and discusses Free software a lot. --Amir E. Aharoni (talk) 12:20, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Actually, the software does fit the Adware definition. Not that free if you ask me. Yes, now you officially won't have to use their software anymore: http://dev.aol.com/aim --77.253.255.156 (talk) 13:53, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Warnings

The article mentions that "older AIM clients, third-party clients, or user-written add-ons may still allow users to bypass the "soft" removal of warning capabilities", but I find that I'm unable to warn anybody (or even myself) when using an older client, nor have I seen anybody with any warning levels on them at all, so does this statement still hold true? Masterblooregard (talk) 18:27, 16 March 2008 (UTC)