Adding Buddy Incompatibility with AOL

Question

Adding Buddy Incompatibility with AOL

I'm a "Charter Subscriber" to AOL (doesn't do anything except get a lifer's discount) and a user of iChat.

For some reason, I can't add buddies successfully in the iChat client. I have to go online with AOL to add the buddy.

Example: in iChat, I add "Fred" as a buddy. No results. I go online in AOL, Fred is still not on the Buddy list, so I add "Fred" in the setup menu of the AOL client. Voila! When I sign back on with iChat, Fred magically appears.

Any ideas?

Posted on May 30, 2005 2:31 AM

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Answer 1

May 30, 2005 3:33 PM in response to Paul Margulies

HI Paul,

Are you using Groups in iChat ?

Are there some in your AOL Instant Message set up ?

In the AIM stand alone application there is a group called Recent Buddies.

For some reason iChat can not see this group.
The work around is to move by dragging allthe AOL/AIM buddies from this Group to other groups and deleting the Group in AIM.

Hope this helps.

Ralph

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Answer 2

May 31, 2005 1:47 AM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

That doesn't appear to make a difference. I don't have AIM on the iMac or Powerbook at all, and haven't really since iChat was released.

I've tried it with and without groups.

But, to give an example. I tried to add my friend, Cassie to the iChat list. I went through the iChat "add buddy" procedure (Buddies > Add Buddy > New Person > Clicked Add).

It was as if the info had been swallowed up and spit out. Nothing appeared.

I signed onto AOL, her name was not on the AOL Buddy list. I added her to my AOL list and after signing off AOL and back onto iChat... there she was, "real" name and all.

It's frustrating.

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Answer 3

May 31, 2005 1:45 PM in response to Paul Margulies

Are you making sure that you are adding an AIM user and not a .Mac user? This is the only other thing I can think of.

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Answer 4

May 31, 2005 2:55 PM in response to Paul Margulies

HI Paul,

I was saying from certain knowledge this is how it works with the Stand alone application.

My presumption was that the AOL package IM was/is supposed to be the same application. (it is regarded as such on a PC) and comes with some default groups.

Form their I was expecting to hear that in the AOL package that you are using that these same groups are there by default and that the same solution would work.

Check the iChat View Menu and select the Offline Buddies
WHen you add people do they appear as Offline Buddies ?
Is this whilst the AOL Package is open ?

Ralph

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Answer 5

Aug 25, 2005 1:43 PM in response to Paul Margulies

I have a related problem. When adding an aim user name with a "space" in the name, xxx xx, ichat will add the buddy name without the space but then the buddy doens't show as online even if he is. is there a way to add buddies with spaces in their names?

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Answer 6

Aug 25, 2005 1:53 PM in response to Paul Margulies

Hi Paul,

This is a Group problem.

In the AIM application you will probably find that new Buddies are added to all groups.
This means that they will appear i all groups in iChat.

iChat calls in first group Buddies. AIM calls their's Recent Buddies. The AIM application can see all iChat Groups but for some reason iChat can not see the Recent Buddies group from the AIM server.

The thing to do is to open the AIM application and sort the groups. It also pays to Display groups in iChat and sort them as well.

I would go as far as to empty then delete the AIM group Recent Buddies.

Ralph

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Answer 7

Aug 25, 2005 1:55 PM in response to Mike Bamba

Hi Mike,

As I understand it an AIM name is all one string with no spaces.

However there is a box on the registration page that asks how you wnat to display this name hence the spaces you see somtimes

Ralph

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Answer 8

Ryan M.

Level 6

8,184 points

Aug 25, 2005 2:04 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

That's correct. Just add the buddy as one long string. That's just a formatting thing that some people do to their screennames.

If that person is not showing up in your buddy list, make sure to check your Privacy settings in your iChat Preferences as well as have your buddy do the same in his AIM preferences.

-Ryan

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