Blast From the Past – Best AIM Features

By PettyandPosh | October 18, 2019

AOL instant messenger(AIM) was introduced in 1997 and rose to popularity quickly.  It was one of the first social networks with the ability to message friends and family.  It was before young people had cellphones and was the perfect way to talk to friends and crushes privately, without worrying about a sibling listening in.  Many of today’s popular social networks take features from AIM (emoticons, character limit, bots, etc.)  Here is a look at the best features of AIM.

SmarterChild

SmarterChild was the best!  He/She was a bot that carried on a conversation and had a database of information.  The most fun was trying to get SmartChild to say funny immature words like butt and fart.  Today we have Siri and Samsung S-Voice, but SmarterChild will always hold a special place in our heart.

ASL

Age, Sex, Location or ASL…One of the most recognizable abbreviations in the late 90’s.   The chances of getting a truthful answer from strangers were slim.

Comic Sans

Yes, good ole Comic Sans font.  In any color you wanted.  Comic Sans is one of the most hated typography’s for designers, but AIM users love it.

The Noises

A friend signs on, and you hear the creaky door open and as soon as they sign off, the door slams shut.

Away Messages

BRB Mom needs comp was a typical away message.  Song lyrics were also popular.  Luckily, we didn’t have the #hashtag phenomena back then.  #smarterchildrules

Organizing your Buddy List

Are they a Buddy, Family, Co-Worker, Crush, Girl I Dislike, Sister’s Friend?  Organizing your buddy list was great and a feature that has been carried over into the Google+ social network.