Rick
Premium,MVM
join:2001-02-06
Waterbury, CT
clubs: 
| It never ceases to amaze me
how misinformed so many "broadband" users are about AOL.
Contrary to whatever you might want to believe, AOL hasn't kept almost 19 million users on board simply because they're stupid newbies.
Believe it or not, some people might actually LIKE AOL and the service they provide and find it to be a good overall value.
I for one like their news, email setup, chat (which is far superior to AIM IMHO), Radio AOL with XM, and, as another user above noted, their video offerings.
These things all have value to me above and beyond their just being a dialup ISP, for which I have no use.
But, it doesn't stop there either...because they have now what I would consider to be a very good broadband offering.
They've partnered with most or all of the telcos and combined with TW, now have a very large reach into the broadband market. For approx 26.00 a month to 30.00 a month..depending on the connection..many people can have AOL PLUS HSI.
One user above asked why RR doesn't include AOL. The short answer is..now it does thru AOL's program...just packaged under a different name.
Perhaps AOL did get off guard or never planned on the net becoming what it is today in terms of the amount of companies out there offering ISP services and particularly the speeds which would be offered. I mean, it would be tough for Perdue if the whole world decided that chicken wasn't what they wanted anymore. 
But I do think you have to give AOL credit for having been the worlds largest DIAL UP ISP and having managed to sustain themselves even this far not having owned most of the broadband pipes into the nations homes.
That probably would have spelled instant disaster for any other business.
But..they have sustained themselves and continue to have almost 19 million customers. I personally think only a fool would count out a player like that.
And, they've sustained themselves for many reasons, some of which certainly are some of their customers haven't yet moved away from them and probably will. But others like them for what they are, and their content..and find it to be a value added service.
I think the real issue is for them to find that right price point and properly price their service for many broadband users who would use them as that. I think the 10.00 price range a month is the magic number.
But now, for many people who want broadband...AOL also has a very good program for that. And personally I'm hard pressed to see why many more people would leave when you can get AOL PLUS broadband for the upper 20.00 price range.
This really is better than the GIMMICK pricing that the telcos are using with their price changes after a 12 month contract expires. And, from what I understand, AOL has no contract either for their broadband.
That's a very good deal. And AOL will survive...and prosper.
~RRR
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The life you help save just might be your own Team Discovery |
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BillRoland
Premium
join:2001-01-21
Ocala, FL
clubs:
 ·Cox HSI
| I'm one of those people who have kept it around primarily because they still have the best chat rooms available, that I've been able to find anyway, even though they went in the tank after they pulled the plug on the guides who use to keep order. While that may sound silly, I have made some great friends that way, especially some internationals, who I never would have been able to meet any other way. And, I always hated AIM, I prefer AOL's built in IM client (and I prefer MSN's to them both, but not as many folks I know have MSN as AOL still). But that's all I use it for. I migrated to my ISP's e-mail years ago. I never use the internal browser, never look at the content, nothing. Its just a chat app (which eats way too much RAM, but with 1.5Gb it doesn't hurt too bad). I've also been in the beta program since the 4.0 days. There's nothing that I can see coming down the pipeline in terms of an AOL 10, which is a shame, because they could really stand to work on the application, make it leaner and more robust, and redesign a lot of it and I think they would benefit from that. I think 9.0 was possibly the last full featured client we'll see.
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"Don't steal. The government hates competition." |
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DaMaGeINC
The Lan Man
Premium
join:2002-06-08
Greenville, SC
clubs:
·Charter Pipeline
 ·AT&T Southeast
| reply to Rick
Maby you dont relieze, that you can get ALL THAT STUFF FREE, elsewhere. You like there raido? Well guess what. Google "Free internet raido" and you will get 10000000's of pages on it. Google "Free tv shows" Same thing. All AOL does it put it in 1 page so the newbs that dont know how to search the internet think AOL is the only place they can get it. You already pay for your connection, why cant you provide your own contant?
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inc.ath.cx
Have a Networking problem or question? Stop by the Networking Forum and let us help you. |
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rewket
Premium
join:2003-08-21
Longueuil, QC | reply to Rick
19 000 000 users
18 000 000 of them have been trying to cancel their service for the past 5years and are still given the run around. |
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attsbcisgay
join:2003-03-18
Beverly Hills, CA | reply to Rick
If you are a GEEK you'll hate AOL
if you are a computer illiterate and all ya do is brag about convenice, ease of use (for the lazy), yes AOL is for YOU. The coach potato. We geeks can do what most cannot and we know everything inside out. |
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Dreidle5
join:2006-05-04
Dayton, OH | reply to rewket
No run around about it. A straight shot to India and a mysterious hanging up of the phone! |
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Rick
Premium,MVM
join:2001-02-06
Waterbury, CT
clubs:
1 edit | reply to DaMaGeINC
said by DaMaGeINC  :Maby you dont relieze, that you can get ALL THAT STUFF FREE, elsewhere. You like there raido? Well guess what. Google "Free internet raido" and you will get 10000000's of pages on it. Google "Free tv shows" Same thing. Thank you for enlightening me on how this works. After 16 years of using computers, buying many of them for my company, and now, since I retired from that and having worked as a computer tech for the last few years including having been on this BBR site now for almost 6 years and earning MVM status...FINALLY..someone like yourself comes along and helps me to see the light and to know that there is such a thing called ..GOOGLE out there and that if I do a Search..I can find these things..for Free.
Wow..I learn something new every day..and today was probably the biggest day of my life.
Please..allow me one more time to try to enlighten you on why I, and apparently many others think AOL is still a good value. I KNOW all those things exist out there and I can google just about anything these days.
But, I happen to like the way that AOL does certain things..and the convenience of it all.
I lIKE their email compared to outlook express and my own broadband isp's. I lIKE their chat which is far superior to AIM in my view. I LIKE their news and Time Warner content which you'd have to PAY for otherwise. I LIKE their TV service which brought me the stones concert from Brazil LIVE. I LIKE when they have various guests on and we can all gather round and listen to them in a chat like forum. And, I like many other things about them as well..which really are too numerous to list.
Yes..I KNOW I can get alot of these things all over the net and have a million and one icons and open windowns on my desktop just to save a few bucks a month.
But..i'm not poor and this convenience to ME..is worth it.
I'm NOT a newbie..and far from it. And believe it or not, some of us REALLY don't mind paying for something on the net that we determine to be of VALUE to us.
I continually hear of AOL's Bloated program taking over my machine..I have no problems with their software.
I really don't know what you're talking about and I don't think you do either. You all just join this fanboy..I hate AOL club and simply don't use it now or appreciate why others might want to use it.
I don't necessarily think it's worth the 25 a month price for dialup access..but for people with their own broadband..it doesn't cost that.
And 10 or 15 bucks a month..it's worth it for me and apparently millions of others as well.
And so??
I'm sorry I don't fit your stereotype of what you think an AOL user is supposed to be like, but I know many people who use it,both friends and business associates alike who would say the same thing I do.
Their problem hasn't been with content..it's been with broadband and they're not controlling the last mile lines except for their relationship with Time Warner.
That's really changed now though and they seem to have some good relationships out there with the telcos to start delivering AOL via broadband.
AOL..is going to survive. |
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DaMaGeINC
The Lan Man
Premium
join:2002-06-08
Greenville, SC
clubs: | Blah blah blah. I dident even read your topic. GG I Win |
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