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

To: yihsuen who wrote (14149)	8/12/1999 1:08:00 AM
From: gpowell	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 29970

Okay, okay, I'll spill my guts. the isp function is trending towards $0 value for anyone not a distribution company. ISP's have had their day - it's over. AOL is returning to what they once were - a service designed to attract eyeballs rather than an ISP (an enabler). In the olden days they did this over what really was just a big BBS - no internet yet. Then they marketed themselves as an ISP and became one, exit BBS. Now they can give up the isp role. AOL will come bundled with whatever distribution vehicle their customers choose. But they have a problem. Their current customer base thinks of them as an ISP - investors too. So when MSFT offers free ISP the shares get rocked. Must change perception first. Offer to "sell" the isp portion to a distribution campany. A graceful exit strategy. How long before the cable cos no longer need ATHM as an ISP? Perhaps 2002?