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Technology Stocks : AUTOHOME, Inc -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: yihsuen who wrote (14103)	8/11/1999 6:25:00 PM
From: ALTERN8	Respond to of 29970

Very well put. Thanks

To: yihsuen who wrote (14103)	8/11/1999 8:13:00 PM
From: gpowell	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29970

Clearly AOL is an ISP. They do provide Internet service to their customers. It was not long ago that AOL did not offer Internet service. What were they then? AOL's fabulous success to date, in part, has come from the mass mailings of their CD's offering themselves as an ISP - "the easiest way to get connected" or some other drivel. They have branded themselves as an ISP. Years ago the distribution companies thought they knew what their customers wanted and Internet service was not it. Consequently a few energetic entrepreneurs filled the gap; most of them are gone - retired to Woodside and Silver Creek Country Club. Now, clearly, the distribution owners will offer ISP services. So what "value" is there in being an ISP? So how does AOL leap forward to it's past? One way is to "sell" the ISP service to a distribution company. Get people used to the idea first; then offer the best damn set of services anyone has seen on the net such that people forget there was ever an ISP separate from the distribution company.