http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum10/12153.htm
Gosh, I'm glad my Internet Service Provider doesn't have this reputation. Why would anyone who has a great broadband/dsl/cable service opt to use AOL for free along with their own service?
The posters bring up good points below in regards to advertsing, affiliate links and such. But still...gotta wonder why. On the children's computer, they downloaded AIM messenger. It took me forever to get all the excessive crappola off that came with the dang thing. Then had to download an anti-advertising hack to go with the thing for the kids.
My Best, Donna
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America Online is paying the price for falling behind in the Internet revolution. According to this morning's Wall Street Journal, AOL is considering forgoing billions in subscription revenue by allowing households with their own broadband connections to access the service for free.
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerartic...=20060706&ID=5847892
America Online is paying the price for falling behind in the Internet revolution. According to this morning's Wall Street Journal, AOL is considering forgoing billions in subscription revenue by allowing households with their own broadband connections to access the service for free.
AOL Wants to Be Free
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Senior Member
joined:Feb 21, 2003
posts:2033
msg#:363108 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
Still overpriced
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Senior Member
joined:Jan 25, 2005
posts:3514
msg#:363109 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
Not a bad strategy as they can theoretically make up the loss in basic access charges to those people that already have a connection via advertising, value add services, and people don't mind paying to filter access for the kids.
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Junior Member
joined:Mar 23, 2005
posts:153
msg#:363110 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
They'll make up the loss by firing thousands of people from marketing, administration, and IT. Combine that with some aggressive cost-cutting in other areas, and it'll work out in their favor.
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Junior Member
joined:May 18, 2006
posts:84
msg#:363111 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
It's so sad, their own fault for falling behind with the times.
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Moderator Forum 17
joined:Sept 20, 2000
posts:3459
msg#:363112 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
They are about 3 years behind. Traffic from AOL is not even a small fraction of what it used to be.
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joined:May 21, 2002
posts:541
msg#:363113 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
As Gordon Gecko once said... "it's a dog with fleas".
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Junior Member
joined:May 18, 2006
posts:84
msg#:363114 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
In all honesty, previous to this post, I hadn't been to aol(dot)com for years. Eek...I hadn't even thought about them.
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ec 9, 2003posts:1577
msg#:363115 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
AOL: todays ISP, tomorrows Myspace competitor?
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joined:Nov 28, 2004
posts:958
msg#:363116 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
Not to derail the topic, but I wonder just how many AOL subscribers still refer to AOL as "American Online?"
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joined:July 23, 2005
posts:126
msg#:363118 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
other terms of hoq people refer to AOL
-America Off line
-AOLame
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Moderator Forum 23
joined:Sept 1, 2001
posts:4098
msg#:363119 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
I used to call it America on Hold. along with the World Wide Wait.
Never really used it much, don't see the point.
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Preferred Member
joined:Aug 2, 2004
posts:443
msg#:363120 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
It was so much better than CompuServe. Then I went to college with a T1 line into my dorm room and realized what I was missing by having the Web spoon fed to me.
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joined:Oct 27, 2001
posts:6803
msg#:363121 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
Yeah, those of us on CompuServe used to look down our noses at the 16-year-olds on AOL. :-)
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msg#:363122 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
No way that could ever happen. AOL is clueless with what kids are doing on the net these days. Aside from that there is all the negative publicity of late including that news snippet of a subscriber who spent 20 minutes trying to cancel his account only to be given the run around.
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joined:Jan 25, 2005
posts:3514
msg#:363124 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
We call it A-O-HELL
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joined:Nov 8, 2005
posts:204
msg#:363126 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
AOL has always been on the verge of criminal activity in my book. They fall in line right behind adware and viruses.
When they first started out, they were busted for having too many hidden charges. Their shadey behavior never stopped, as they continued to ship out millions of unwanted CD junkmailers for "Free Internet Access" and them made it impossible to cancel your account.
AOL is the short yellow bus of the internet, and they are finding out that there just aren't as many idiots as there once was.
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joined:Aug 19, 2003
posts:371
msg#:363130 12:00 am on Jan 1, 1970 (utc 0)
AOL is finally paying for years of poor customer service, overbilling, etc.
I convert one of their customers to another ISP everytime I help someone with a computer problem, etc. - my little way of getting even.
I personally smile everytime I see a negative headline.