Made Me Feel Good! Updated 10/00
Written: Jul 21 '00 (Updated Oct 21 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: local rural numbers, stable connection, free, pop & webmail, worthwhile causes
Cons: small banner, confusing setup regarding the $15 fee, but was ok with me not to pay
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| ladylisab's Full Review: Worldshare |
NO BANNERS ON WORLDSHARE! I chose Worldshare when I started searching for a replacement for my Freewwweb service. Since Freewwweb has just been gobbled up by Juno (July 20, 2000), I am registering my protest here against Juno. They are buying out their competition and I am refusing to join Juno. I know it's not going to hurt them, but I feel better not supporting them.
Enter Worldshare...I found them on epinions...thought I would give it a try. Visiting the website, I set up an account and easily downloaded a dialer. When registering my account, I had a little trouble, but it was good trouble, I guess. More about that later...
International access is not a factor for me, but service is limited to the U.S, in case you are a traveller and need to know that.
I downloaded the "full feature dialer" (wsdial.exe) that has all the access numbers (WorldShare.Net Internet Dialer-826K/28.8Kb modem/4 minutes, 56Kb modem/2 minutes.) I don't like putting a huge download on my box because I try the Free ISP's and they can trash up the place. So the 2 minute download was just fine!
You can download the dialer onto a diskette, to take to set up another computer, or as a backup if you crash and burn, which is a bonus.
Kflex and V.90 modems, both supported speeds up to 56K.
It works with IE and Netscape, I use IE5. Access to web site with up to 25 pages to create and 20MB personal web space at each of their online communities. Worldshare supports Windows 95/98 computers.
There is a Help Section for Linux users, for those of you using Linux. I just checked the Linux Help Section and it seemed quite detailed. Walks you right through it. I didn't read it all! MacOS 8 and higher, Apple has included on your computer a handy program called the Internet Setup Assistant to set you up, also supported for WebTV, and Sega Dreamcast.
Busy signals, a factor? Not yet, but I reserve the right to update that later! We have just had it for about a week, so stay tuned. It will be interesting to see if they last under Juno's assault!
In setting up your account and establishing a UserID and Password, you agree to support them by making a $15 annual donation to help cover expenses. Seeing as this is much less than what we were paying for AOL, I thought, no problem. If you can't afford $15/year, you have the choice to pay $10 instead, or if you can afford more, you can pay more to help others get access, which in the info provided by Worldshare, people have paid more. It's an Honor System kind-of-thing, which I like.
Here's where my problems started. I clicked the button to agree to their Terms Of Service and go to the secure page to enter credit card information or electronic check to cover my annual fee (I chose the $10 fee), and the page wouldn't load. So, I checked to see if I was setup at the Worldshare website with my other Free ISP, and I was.
I disconnected and reconnected using the WorldShare dialer and got right through. It didn't cost me a dime to get set up. I also liked that I didn't have to have Worldshare as my browser home page, but the Help Section gave me instructions how to do it.
The cost of service is, basically, you agree to a survey a month, but according to another epinioner, not necessary anymore. The cost of access is paid by advertisers and part of the access fee is donated to your favorite charity. They have a list to choose from or you can add to it. Check it out and see if it's for you, it seems worthwhile.
Currently, we have no trouble connecting, the connection is stable, and they have rural area access numbers, which is a must for us. Uninterrupted downloads, too. Online help seems good enough. Makes me feel good to know I am helping the Alzheimer's Association through our usage. Choose Worldshare and your charity today!
AUGUST 2000 UPDATE: the service is now requiring you to download a "sharebar", instead of questionnaires or yearly fee. The sharebar can be minimized to a one-inch banner on your screen. Much less obtrusive than other banners. I don't like banners, but if I have to put up with one for free internet service, this one wins the contest.
OCTOBER 2000 UPDATE: The free service is defunct as of 10-20-00. The new cost for same old service is $17.95/mo. for 150 hours, not unlimited usage.
I have switched to InFree or OnFree, depending on which affiliate you choose. I chose SeniorsInFree, but you could also join Divers or Teachers. There was a reasonably sized download, and what I really liked was not having to provide much personal information. They didn't even ask for age, which I expected, since I signed up for Seniors, even though I'm only 39. NO BANNER! When you connect up, it opens a new window that takes you to the Seniors home page and from there you can go where you want. Since I have had a lot of traffic to this Epinion lately, I thought it would be a good idea to update everyone. Good Free ISP hunting!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ladylisab
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Member: Lisa Borders
Location: Indiana
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
I'm an At-Home Mom, retired from government service
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