AIM® Plugins FAQs

AIM ProductHave questions about the AIM Gadgets plugin or the AIM Location plugin? Below are some of our most frequently asked questions. Get more information on how to access them, install them and more.



 

AIM® Gadgets FAQs

Q. What is an AIM Gadget?
Q. How do I install an AIM Gadget?
Q. How do I access this feature once I have installed the package?
Q. How do I uninstall this package?
Q. I like some of these new features, but not all of them. How can I hide the ones I don't want?
Q. I have a great idea for a new feature on AIM. Can I create my own plugin?
 

Location Plugin FAQs

Q. What is the AIM Location plugin?
Q. What about my privacy? Does AIM keep track of where I've been?
Q. Who will see my location?
Q. How will buddies see my location?
Q. How do I use this feature once I have installed the plugin?
Q. What is AIM's Best Guess?
Q. Why don't I see an address or location that is close to me?
Q. What is "This is where I am" and “This is where I am going”?
Q. How do I uninstall this plugin?
 

Skyhook Wireless FAQs

Q. What is Skyhook?
Q. How does Skyhook know where I am?
Q. How does it work with AIM?
Q. Skyhook gave an exact address for me and I want to be more general. Can I change the location?
Q. How do I turn the Skyhook service off from my computer?
Q. How do I uninstall Skyhook?
Q. If I have an old version of the Location plugin, how do I get skyhook?
Q. How can I contact Skyhook Wireless?
 

AIM Gadgets FAQs

Q: What is an AIM Gadget?
A: AIM Gadgets are small programs that add new features to your AIM. Make your own buddy icons, change your away message from your mobile phone and more. You must be using the latest version of AIM 6.0 to use AIM Gadgets.
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Q: How do I install an AIM Gadget?
A: That's an easy question, just click on the "Get Plugin" link below each description on the AIM Plugin Downloads page and follow the instructions.
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Q: How do I access this feature once I have installed the package?
A: Go to the "Actions" button on the bottom right of your Buddy List® window.
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Q: How do I uninstall this package?
A: Go to your Windows® Control Panel and Add/Delete programs and look for "AIM Gadgets."
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Q: I like some of these new features, but not all of them. How can I hide the ones I don't want?
A: Go to the "Edit" menu on your Buddy List window, and click on Settings. Look for a new tab called "Plugins." Uncheck the box next to the feature(s) you wish to hide.
 
Note: the "Settings" button does not work for all features. This is a bug that will be fixed soon.
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Q: I have a great idea for a new feature on AIM. Can I create my own plugin?
A: YES! Anyone can be an AIM developer. The AIM Gadgets plugin was created to demonstrate the power of the AIM SDK to the developer community. To get started, visit our plugin developer web page or visit our AIM Developer FAQs. To share your ideas or questions with other developers, visit the AIM Message Boards.
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Location Plugin FAQs

Q: What is the AIM Location plugin?
 
A: It's a cool new idea that the AIM team is testing. What if AIM could show you where all of your friends are hanging out? With this plugin, you can post your location for your buddies to see and find your buddies. This plugin is our first attempt to test location-based applications and is only a test product, and we look forward to your feedback on our message board
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Q: What about my privacy? Does AIM keep track of where I've been?
A: We're concerned about your privacy, too. The AIM software will not store any customer-specific data, so we will not be able to trace your steps. AIM will only store the addresses that access the network so that we can present them back to you in the future. The more AIM users that log in and enter or use a specific address, the smarter our platform will become when displaying "AIM's Best Guess."
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Q: Who will see my location?
A: Only people who are on your Buddy List® feature and who are using this plugin will see your location. If an AIM user has your screen name, they will only see your location if you have added that user's screen name to your Buddy List feature.
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Q: How will buddies see my location?
A: The only people who will see your location are those who have downloaded this plugin. If you click on the "Actions" button on the Buddy List and then click on "Buddies' Location," you will see a list of your buddies who have posted their locations.
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Q: How do I use this feature once I have installed the plugin?
A: Go to the "Actions" button on the bottom right of your Buddy List. Select "Location Info" to set your location. Go to "Buddies' Location" to see where your buddies are.
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Q: What is AIM's Best Guess?
A: AIM's Best Guess is exactly what you'd think -- our guess at your location. The first time a user logs into AIM at a particular location, AIM's Best Guess will likely be far off -- at best, provide your location based on the ZIP code of your area. As you enter business/location names and addresses, AIM will get smarter. The location application will "learn" to associate this network connection with the location. The second time you log in from this location, or another user logs in from this location, AIM will be able to determine your location more accurately. The more you and your buddies use this plugin, the better the experience becomes for all AIM users.
 
HINT: When you enter a name in the "Location Name" field, please enter a name that is meaningful to the AIM community. Example, enter "Starlight Lounge" rather than "Happy Hour."
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Q: Why don't I see an address or location that is close to me?
A: AIM's Best Guess is not smart enough yet. If you don't see a location that makes sense to you, then click "Add" and enter the location and address of where you are. The next time you log in from that location, you should see this address in the "AIM's Best Guess" list as well as in "My Locations."
 
Encourage your buddies to participate! The more addresses that users tag, the smarter the application will become.
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Q: What is "This is where I am" and "This is where I am going"?
A: You can use "This is where I am" to tell AIM where your computer is plugged into the Internet. But we know that many users are posting a location of where they are physically going, rather than where their computer is plugged in to the Internet. In addition to posting an away message, update your location. If you remember to tell us "This is where I am going," the application will not associate that location with your network access point.
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Q: How do I uninstall this plugin?
A: Go to your Windows® Control Panel and Add/Delete programs. You should see "Location Info" as an individual program to remove.
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Skyhook Wireless FAQs

Q: What is Skyhook?
A: Skyhook's Wi-Fi Positioning System is a location-determination system that works very much like a GPS device. However, instead of using the known location of GPS satellites and a specialized GPS satellite receiver to triangulate your location, we use the Wi-Fi that is already on your computer and nearby Wi-Fi access points to do the same thing.
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Q: How does Skyhook know where I am?
A: Skyhook can determine your location because they map WiFi routers. Using an interface to your wireless network card driver they can access the wireless signals in range and determine a distance to each of these signals using an RSS (receive signal strength) word on each of the signals. Having the location of at least three signals (mapped using trucks) and the range to those signals a triangulation based formula can determine your coordinates.
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Q: How does it work with AIM?
A: It works with AIM by using its location services to supplement our "AIMs Best Guess" feature of the basic location plugin.
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Q: Skyhook gave an exact address for me and I want to be more general. Can I change the location?
A: Yes you can always change your location and rename this location to whatever you want.
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Q: How do I turn the Skyhook service off from my computer?
A: You must re-install without skyhook enabled (by un-checking the install option)
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Q: How do I uninstall Skyhook?
A: To uninstall Skyhook please go to the Windows setting Add/Remove Programs and select the Location AIM plugin or just go to start->programs->aim location->uninstall
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Q: If I have an old version of the Location plugin, how do I get skyhook?
A: If you already have the Location plugin on your computer and want to upgrade your version to include Skyhook Wireless capabilities, please download and install the plugin again. You will NOT lose any saved information.
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Q: How can I contact Skyhook Wireless?
A: For further questions, or concerns please visit the Web site at www.skyhookwireless.com.
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