But AOL is for my mom and your grandmother. People who both need to be told, "You've got mail!" before they'll check it. But here is AOL anyway, with a eighteen foot high bulging balloon that looks like a computer monitor bouncing around in front of convention center doors like a giant Billy- Bounce kiddy-diversion found at a state fair. Maybe they believe that busy mommies will be driving by on busy Pico and Figueroa Streets with a carful of kiddies that will see their Billy-Bounce out front of convention center. Or it's possible that those who work with ECRM applications during day, go home to AOL connections each evening.

I suppose it's possible that call center and salesforce automation software implementation might drive one to prefer AOL. Managers struggle every day to get their employees to USE that multi-million dollar eCRM software application in their work until they can no longer stand appearance of that customized GUI at which they stare endlessly. So, it's home to AOL! Naaaahhhhh!

Where is mainstream at internet shows? Where's that guy from Circuit City commercial who runs from house in his slippers and bathrobe yelling excitedly, "BROADBAAAAAAND!" His family stares in disbelief at his excited plans for high speed internet? Where is that likeable guy who searches web using his default browser, set with default settings, viewing things that can't be faulted when his wife asks him, "I thought you were surfing web?" He responds, dumb- founded with, "I finished it." (a rather implausible ad for DSL).

It sometimes seems that internet is made exclusively for enterprise-level IT drones who say to their co-Dilbert, "Six million dollars worth of pure strategic thinking . . . but given our current technology, is it implementable?, No?"

What's all hubbub about? In United States, we have chosen (our legislature, which is really controlled by big business and special interests) to allow businesses to send spam, junk mail and collect marketing data (among other things) about people unless those people have opted-out. This means that once you will receive unwanted items, and you must take time to tell each individual company that you don't want them.

On other hand, European Union has set a very different standard: spam and other marketing related items cannot be sent to people unless they specifically ask for it. This is a much higher standard for businesses, as they must now convince people to sign up for their literature and promotions instead of handling few who bother to say no thanks.

In United States, opting out applies to just about everything. Even credit bureaus can sell your marketing information (remember those credit card applications you received out of blue in your mailbox?) to anyone they want, as long as you have not told them it's not okay. Doubleclick and other agencies can build profiles of your surfing information, unless, of course, you tell them to knock it off.

Because of laws in United States, most marketing companies are now providing a way to opt-out from their profiling, pop-up (and under) ads, and sometimes even banners. Usually this method consists of setting a cookie which tells their ad server you have opted out. I know it seems strange to set a cookie to prevent a service from using cookies, but that's way it works.

Links to opt-out pages for some of larger and more common annoyances are listed below. Click link and follow instructions. If, after clicking link, you are asked by your browser or cookie software about a cookie, say YES to save it. Note that if you have disabled cookies (either altogether or for one of these specific sites) then these will not work.

If applicable, you might also read privacy policies and other propaganda presented by these sites. They are very entertaining as they try very hard to make you understand how all of this is for your benefit.

Advertising.Com http://servedby.advertising.com/optout A large advertiser. Opting out will prevent profiling.

Be Free Inc http://www.yourcontrolpanel.com/mypage/pcp.html One of larger internet marketing companies. "Be Free will be prevented from tracking any additional data in future and will result in curtailing delivery of personalized content to your desktop."