AOL user info

There are a number of issues that affect AOL users. The following info may help you understand what the problems are.

The AOL service makes extensive use of web page “caching” whereby web pages are pre-stored on AOL servers in order to provide faster load times for dial-up customers. These web pages are not always up to date with the “live” web pages on the actual web site in question. The problem is that the Captcha images used to prevent spam are also being stored by the caching process. This means that by the time you type in your response to the image in the Registration process you are likely seeing an older, cached image and what you type will not match the newly generated captcha image from the website and the Registration fails.

One possible solution is to hold down the “Ctrl” or “CONTROL” key on the keyboard and mouse clicking on the AOL browser reload icon

There is also a problem with AOL changing the IP address (this is normally the address of your computer on the web) during a browsing session. So if you log into a members only section of a website it stores your IP address and checks it on every page load as a security check, if the IP address changes during the session the website will think there is a security breach and log you off. You may have had this on other websites and not known what the problem was. AOL often blocks emails from automated reply systems treating them as spam. A lot of sites where you can register as a member or to receive email newsletters send an authentication email that you must reply to to activate the request, these often get blocked.

The long and the short of it is that AOL is not liked or used by experienced computer users. I personally would use Internet Explorer (and upgrade to version 7 for free) or Firefox (free). You are more likely to see and be able to use websites as the designers intended rather than crippled by AOL.

Data Privacy Policy

The Data Protection Act 1998 imposes rules and safeguards on those who hold and process personal data, i.e. data relating to living identifiable individuals. Details of usage must be notified to the UK Information Commissioner, with some exceptions which include not-for-profit organisations whose usage is restricted to specified purposes. Southdowns Orienteers are exempt from notification but the principles setting out rules and safeguards do apply. In the interests of being open and fair, the club wishes to inform members of the data held and how it is used.

Southdowns Orienteers and its officials may hold some or all of the following data about some or all members and others who compete in orienteering events: name, postal and email addresses, phone and fax numbers, year of birth, competition age class, competition results, offices held, skills and qualifications, courses attended and details of officiating at competitions. Contact data is held for landowners and other organisations with whom we co-operate, their employees, agents and tenants. The data may be held in electronic or paper form.

The data may be obtained directly from an individual person or a family member or indirectly from the British Orienteering Federation, clubs or other organisations.

The data is used in organising the sport of orienteering and for social purposes, including, but not limited to, mailing of magazines and other literature, publication of competition entries and results, coaching, team selection, training and appointment of officials.

Data may be distributed in paper or electronic form between members, competitors, event officials and orienteering organisations.

Publication of personal data in paper form may occur in membership and contact lists, magazines, competition information and results and other literature. Publication on publicly accessible web sites may include name, age class and club in competition results; names with offices and photographs may be published, but addresses, contact numbers and personal background details will be published only with the explicit consent of the person.

The data will not be available for commercial purposes.