I really hate the fact you can't look up AOL profiles from AIM. It really is an inconvenience, if someone IMs you.. and you have no idea who they are! And you don't wanna have to keep bugging all your friends who are AOL members to check their profiles for you. AOL should come up with something that allows Non-AOL members to check the profiles of other AOL users.

I agree that if you/we can use AIM then you/we should be able to to get a profile.

Now here's away to check someones AOL profile even if you're not an AOL member. It's kind of a long process but if you got time why not give it a try. This doesn't work on all AOL members.

Scenario:
You receive an email from an AOL member, using his/her email address check the "AOL Hometown pages" if the member has a web page most of them have a link to where you can check out their AOL profiles.

There's a couple things that need to be in place for this to work.

1) The member must have a "Hometown web page". Many do because upon registering on AOL it asks you if you want to use the 1-2-3 publisher to create a fast and easy web page.

2) The member upon creating the web page selected to include a link to their AOL profile.

3) The member upon creating a profile must have selected the profile to be accessable to all. Some members create a profile but request it to be private and only viewable to select personnel upon confirmation from the AOL member.

4) The member must have a profile to begin with. Some members just get the service but when asked to create a profile they leave it blank and no profile is registered.

So there you have it, like I said it takes a little time but it's better then nothing. Have fun and good luck all.

[Corrvin]

burrowmisty isn't an AOL member, though, so that option isn't available.

AOL's Member Profiles are part of AOL's member-only content. They contain whatever the individual member wants them to contain, which may or may not include enough information to tell "who they are" in a literal or figurative sense.

Corr

I too couldn't read aol profiles when i didn't have aol. it was so unfair. Then I picked up an aol cd in the supermarket, and I have aol free for a year. You should do this to see how it is. If you then decide you want aol, sign up and pay, but if not u don't lose anything but even maybe even gain the knowledge that aol isn't realy all its cracked up to be. I hope my advice helps.

<p> yeah, like that is sooo unfair. i have a friend and he says he's with aol, and so i want to lokup his profile, and i find that i can't. i mean, c'mon people!! that just really SUCKS!!!! All of my friends are on aol, and at the least i would like to be able to see their profile!!! what is wrong with these people!? I say that aol sucks too, cuz they cheat US out of letting us c our friends profiles!! who's with me!!!??? </p>

[Corrvin]

To recap the original question: Can a non-AOL member view AOL member profiles?

To recap the answer: No. AOL member profiles are for AOL members only; it's part of what they pay the subscription to AOL for.

AOL chooses to charge for its service; in return for paying, its members receive access to information they would not get if they did not pay. If you wish to view AOL member profiles, you must sign up for AOL. Suggestions or comments about the AOL service can be sent to http://www.aol.com/info/feedback.html; please remember that we here at TheIdeaWeb do not represent AOL in any capacity.

I appreciate everyone's helpful suggestions above and beyond the original question and answer, and I'm leaving this thread open for further discussion; however, please remember that this is the HELP forum and simply commenting "AOL sucks" is both unhelpful and pointless.

Corr

I have compuserve and I want to read my friends profiles and I can't!! It makes me really mad. I mean compuserve and AOL are pretty much the exact same things. And we pay pretty much the same price for each month. So I don't no what the big deal is with letting people see AOL profiles. It's not gonna hurt anything

i think we should be able to see peoples profiles when were on aim because if you wanna look up some on then you can and i think its really unfair if we cant do that and all of us agree

Originally posted by DirtY_TricK
Also, if anyone knows a website i can use to search profiles of people with common interests,

Here are a couple of other free portal services that have what youre looking for.

Yahoo Member Directory

MSN Member Directory

If you go to www.profilespy.com then you just type in the name and it gives you the profile.

I tried the above site : Profile Spy

I tested it out on one of my personal AOL screennames. It actually worked and I didnt seem to get any spam as a result. I'm amazed!

Yeah i was just trying to read profiles and i see u guys saying people without aol should be able to go and read profiles but i understand that aol has to try and get people to have aol.

hey thanks for putting www.profilspy.com up im going to go try it out now

o well it didnt work for me but thats ok but i really want to read some of my friends profiles!!!!!!probable because im not an aol member!!