First, sign on to AIM through iChat. Then sign on to the same screenname through AOL Instant Messenger. You can do this because AOL nows lets you be online as the same screenname from several computers at once. Now edit your profile using AOL Instant Messenger (AIM menu -> Edit Profile). Save your profile, then quit AIM. You will still be signed on thanks to iChat, and your profile will stay the way you set it with AIM.
A few notes: if you log off or are disconnected from iChat then sign back in, your profile will be reset to nothing. So whenever you log in to iChat, you'll have to sign onto AIM then quit AIM. However, AIM will remember your profile settings from the last time you signed on, so it will set your profile automatically.
Here's an AppleScript which might make things easier (Save in Script Editor as an application. Tested in Panther.)
(*
iChat profile applescript
by PCheese
mulletsailors@yahoo.com
Workaround for having a profile in iChat.
Requires AOL Instant Messenger from www.aim.com
*)
property waitTime : 10 -- how long to wait before moving on to the next step
property snToUse : "" -- the screenname to sign on as (blank for default)
property savedPassword : "" -- the password to use (blank if saved)
-- Here's where we sign on with iChat
tell application "iChat"
activate
log in
end tell
tell me to display dialog "Waiting for iChat to finish..." buttons {"•"} ¬
default button 1 giving up after waitTime
-- Here's where we sign on with AIM then quit AIM
tell application "AOL Instant Messenger (SM)"
if snToUse is "" then
sign on
else
if savedPassword is "" then
try
sign on screen name snToUse
on error number errnum
if errnum is -1731 then
tell me to display dialog ¬
"Could not sign on because the password is incorrect. Either save it in AIM or in this script." ¬
buttons {"Cancel"} default button 1
else
error number errnum
end if
end try
else
sign on screen name snToUse password savedPassword
end if
end if
tell me to display dialog "Waiting for AIM to finish..." buttons {"•"} ¬
default button 1 giving up after waitTime
quit
end tell
There has to be an easier way to send AOL your profile after iChat has logged in, but I haven't figured it out yet.

