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Technology Stocks : America On-Line (AOL)
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To: Lee Martin who wrote (5035)2/13/1999 6:43:00 PM
From: RTev  Read Replies (2) of 41369
 
Great, thought-provoking post.
I had to change my email address and website. My kids are PO'd because they don't have their buddy list's anymore...

That's part of the problem, but still, there's a lot of ISP churn out there. Folks seem willing to change around for better deals or better service. Prodigy is making a major push to get AOL users by giving new Prodigy users software that automatically transfers an AOL address book to an internet-standard address book. They point out on their web page that the AOL buddy list can be used outside of AOL. Anyone with any internet account can download and use a copy without charge.

...and I miss some of the content AOL provided

That's the big advantage AOL has. As long as folks appreciate their private-network offerings (and are willing to put up with the ads), AOL offers something that no one else can duplicate.

In a couple of years instead of having bills for phone, internet, and cable we may have one bill from AOL (or MSN) providing all of these services combined at a lower price...

I agree that is likely to happen, but I don't see how AOL can be the one sending the bill. The bill will come from AT&T or Time-Warner, or from Bell Atlantic or USWest or one of the other Bells, or from Qwest or Level 3. It might even come from Microsoft which has significant investments in cable that AOL can't match now and doesn't have the money to match any time soon. But AOL does have both brand and content that will make it a significant player. You may get billed by Ameritech, but some of what you see is likely come from AOL which will make plenty that way, and without the massive capital cost of becoming a utility.
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