The Soda Shop Message Boards

When I used it, they had quite a few links to non-FOtF sites like Grooveshark.

Yeah, FAIO still links to files that Focus has not made freely available. Also, we should restrict this list to sites that are still active.
Also, we could add Audrey's blog AIO-Odds And Ends, although she doesn't really post on it anymore. http://aio-oddsandends.blogspot.com/
UPDATE: Actually, as of a few days ago the blog is active.

Hoo-ray! Audrey's blog has been recalled to life. I'll read that now. Once I've finished this. So strictly speaking, not now.

One blog that's really overlooked is Out of Control in Odyssey. The people that run it, Josh and Alley, have been published in AIO Club House. IT has funny podcasts, great reviews that really stand out in how funny, structured and insightful they are. And they have occasional interviews and fan art, the whole bit. In fact, it ahs more variety than almost any aio blog.
The blog has won the Websters (hosted by CreativeThinker101) and won a Ceiling Fan contest.
And despite all that, it's never commented on. Except by me. Which must get discouraging, and in their posts, it's become clear they are indeed getting discouraged. No one follows them, or anything. There's just no response to their tons of work.
So pllllease treat yourself to some AIO fun and leave a comment or follow. I mean, come on, it takes seconds. And they've been at it loyally for years with no recognition. They need an audience!
http://odysseyoutofcontrol.blogspot.com/

Gooey98 wrote:Yeah, FAIO still links to files that Focus has not made freely available. Also, we should restrict this list to sites that are still active.

rhemacatchup.com/?cat=7
^^This site has a longer backlog of episodes - as opposed to about 10 on the official FOTF site.

Not 10, 37...
This website is also official.
http://www.oaclub.org

Hmm... I was just going through some of my old blogs, and I came across this total flop that I apparently made a couple of posts on when I was 10. It was my continuation of Alex Jefferson's blog posts in Clubhouse magazine, which was replaced by Wooton's Random Ramblings. That annoyed me, so I continued Alex's posts, with mixed results. It's pretty bad (I was 10, after all), but I found it interesting to read through. Also, for JAAIOB readers, you should know that this is how I got the screen-name Alex Jefferson. Here's the link:

http://alexjeffersontheodysseyblog.blogspot.com/

Lol, that was you Arnold? That's funny.

I just updated the list of websites on AIOwiki. http://www.aiowiki.com/wiki/List_of_websites.

It now has active sites, blogs, or podcasts seperated from inactive sites, blogs, or podcasts. If you guys know of any websites that aren't on the page, just let me know and I'll add them.

And yet my URLs were outdated.

Gooey98 wrote: If you guys know of any websites that aren't on the page, just let me know and I'll add them.

Or I could just do it myself. Hee hee. I don't know why I never made an account on AIOwiki until now.

On second thought, it looks like you got most of them. There are only a couple really obscure blogs that I mentioned in my first post on here (I still have no idea how I found them), so I'll just add those and be on my merry way. If I added Faio to the list in a seperate category, do you think it would be deleted?

I actually removed faio rom the list when I made the changes. So yes, it would be taken down if you added it...taken down by me. :p I don't think we should be supporting, advertising, or associating with FAIO, for obvious reasons. It isn't a resource that people should be using.

Faio wrote:One of the most common questions Faio receives is: "Is this website legal?"

The answer is: Yes. You, the user, can listen to episodes that Faio links to in the way it was intended with no legal issues.

Unless of course, you attempt to download an episode that does not have a download link. This is illegal, hurts Adventures in Odyssey, and makes Faio look like a bad website to others. We can't stress how important it is that you DO NOT download unless there is a download link on the Faio episode list; these episodes were released by Focus on the Family so that you could download them.

If people use Faio INSTEAD of buying their favorite albums and donating, Focus on the Family could indeed suffer financially. While Faio is certainly legal, it could be abused just like any other great service. It's not up to Faio whether Focus is hurt or not, it's up to you, the user, to show your support for this great Christian product

What does this mean, then? I used Faio to listen to the Green Ring Conspiracy and other new episodes as they aired a few years ago, before I knew you could listen on Whitsend.org. He regularly takes episodes off the site because he knows it would be illegal. I guess I'm just not sure I totally understand what you're saying. I'm going to contact the Faio admin (he's running it all by himself) and see what he has to say about your concerns and the concerns of other SSers, if you don't mind. I don't even have to say who it's from, if you'd like. The tone of his blog posts and the fact that he's doing it with a Christian family radio drama leads me to believe he's not intentionally doing something illegal. If it turns out he is, fine, I won't associate with it anymore. But if he has a reasonable explanation for your concerns, or if it turns out he was just being really naive about the whole thing, then it will work out better for everyone than not trying to contact him at all.

I don't remember where I heard this, but I do remember very clearly reading that FOTF has asked him to take it down several times. They haven't pressed charges because that's not the kind of company FOTF is; they don't like to sue people.

While it isn't "technically" illegal, and it doesn't "promote" illegal activity, it assists people to access content that has been illegally uploaded. You can't depend on people to not use faio instead of buying albums, because a lot of people don't understand why it's wrong. "Free AIO? Hooray!" If you want to listen to free AIO, you're supposed to be limited to what's currently available on whitsend.org.

AIO is not in a financial state where this couldn't hurt them. Thus, I don't think this website should be advertised or even mentioned.

-- Sat Dec 06, 2014 5:30 pm --

ArnoldtheRubberDucky wrote: I'm going to contact the Faio admin (he's running it all by himself) and see what he has to say about your concerns and the concerns of other SSers, if you don't mind.

A better thing to do would be to contact Focus and ask them what their stance on Faio is.

I already got a response from the admin. Here's what he had to say:

Greetings.
Faio is a link/embed archive for streamable episodes [and episodes released for download.] I started Faio five years ago as a hobby to provide an easy way to stream episodes without the hassle of searching across multiple websites. My intention was only ever to gain website building experience, promote Adventures in Odyssey, and spread God's word.

Faio has come under attack multiple times by a small number of rather vocal internet trolls with nothing better to do. As a result, Faio was taken offline for a couple days pending a legal investigation by the website service provider. This happened on two separate occasions, and both times Faio was cleared of any wrongdoing. The fact that Faio has been operating for more than five years without any contact from Focus' legal department is another good sign. I'm more than willing to admit that linking to copyrighted content is a grey area, and Focus could send me a Cease and Desist which I would have to comply with, but I'm sure they know just as well as anyone with a basic understanding of the situation that there's no real harm being done. The two deciding factors in a legal matter such as this would be trademark and copyright. One applies to characters, names, and themes, while the other applies to actual [in this case, digital] media. Faio's disclaimer clearly disassociates itself from Adventures in Odyssey, reducing the chances of trademark confusion, and the fact that episodes aren't hosted anywhere on Faio helps to clear up copyright concerns.

Some people feel as though it is somehow inherently wrong to listen to an episode without paying for it, while others such as myself understand that no damage is being done by simply streaming these files. [There are other means of digital file sharing such as Torrents involving seeding, which distributes the file even further while simultaneously downloading. Streaming from a server does no such thing and is therefore not furthering copyright infringement.] Many studies have found that having the option to access content for free improves sales and profitability thanks to the increase in visibility and fan loyalty. Of course, uploading and sharing copyrighted content is a whole other matter, but Faio does not openly nor secretly endorse this behavior. If anything, I make the risks and legal implications of copyright infringement very clear to anyone that happens to ask and would advise against it.

It is up to every individual to make the decision for themselves whether or not they feel as though it is right to listen to episodes uploaded by a third-party. This decision should be based on that individual's ability to acquire the episodes through other means. In other words, if you can't afford to buy an album or don't have the option to [which is the case for many Faio users in other countries,] then there's no harm being done by listening to them online. If you are able to support Focus/AIO, then you should feel the responsibility driven by fan loyalty to do so.

Digital rights management and sale of digital media is taking the course of a Kamikaze plane: spiraling out of control and about to blow up in everyone's face. Digital media is getting easier and easier to obtain, and out-of-date distribution companies are clinging to the old ways by punishing their most loyal customers and labeling them as criminals. [I am of course referring to out-right piracy, which doesn't apply to Faio but still draws some comparisons.] Thankfully, Focus on the Family is a friendly non-profit with only good intentions, so although they would never be able to officially endorse a website such as Faio, I see no reason for them to have anything against it. That being said, since Faio is a rather grey zone and the AIO Wiki is white as snow, I would perfectly understand why some people wouldn't want the two connected in any way.

Thanks for contacting me and I hope that helps to clear things up. Feel free to let me know if there are any other questions you have

-Faio Admin "Zack"

So, it's clear that either he's lying or you have false information regarding FOTF telling him to take down Faio. I sent him back an email telling him I agree with his stance, and I do. I'm not saying I completely trust him, but I didn't feel it was necessary to continue pressing the issue. You may contact Focus yourself if you don't believe him.

And, actually, Gooey, I don't believe that I've ever talked with any one on here that listens to Faio anyway. It's one of those things. If you're a diehard enough fan to join an Internet forum dedicated to discussion on one particular thing, and stay on it for as long as we do, you will not run the risk of hurting AIO in any way. So do I think Faio is bad? No. I think it sounds like a good resource for low-income families to still hear quality Christian entertainment. Would I ever use Faio? Not on your life.

Um... I listen on FAIO... *hides*

*gasps*

Heretic!

Since it's become somewhat of a big deal, I suppose we should discuss it with the other AIOwiki editors.

I don't think it's that big of a deal, (I think he's probably answered this question dozens of times) and, as he said, he wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to connect AIOwiki and Faio. I just wanted to clear some things up.

Maybe not, but it seems like I'm in the minority here, and I don't really have the right to decide whether AIOwiki can mention Faio or not.

Alright, that's true. I'm sorry if I made you out to be the enemy; your concerns were completely justified, I just wanted to see his side of the story.