Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : America On-Line: will it survive ...? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Christopher Grace who wrote (7933)	2/16/1998 2:15:00 AM
From: Investor-ex!	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13594

Christopher, I must confess, I've got far too much emotional baggage with this stock to EVER go long. I don't like this company or the way it is managed. I don't like their style. I don't like how they treat their clients and I don't like their product. I strongly believe the market should reward excellence, not this junk. Furthermore, I don't like seeing such a poor example as AOL proffered as the "leader" in such a promising, nascent industry as the Internet. It could ruin the whole thing. Obviously, this is only my own, myopic opinion, though I am not alone. FYI, I was once an AOL member for a grand total of about six weeks. Never saw such crappy access and rude, inaccessible customer service in my life. And that was well before they went to flat pricing and plastered their online "service" full of advertising. I consider myself fairly technically savvy, and I'm usually a couple of years or so ahead of the general public when it comes to sentiment regarding technical trends. I would have guessed that, by now, the average AOL user would have started cutting her teeth on the Internet without AOL's "help", thank you very much. But I guessed wrong... Best of luck with your long position. Are you hedged in any way?

To: Christopher Grace who wrote (7933)	2/16/1998 11:16:00 AM
From: Steven B. Patton	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13594

I'm am always amazed that AOL is even mentioned in the same sentence as the Internet. AOL is not really an internet stock, although its service does provide access to the Internet (arguably the worst route possible). In fact, AOL's biggest competition is from the Internet. As people understand their options, they leave AOL to go directly to the Internet. As for being the leading company in the sector--what market leader can be characterized at having the worst service, lowest customer satisfaction, and highest price? Their user base is smoke and mirrors and is a result of marketing, not a superior product. If you're long, you'd better have stop orders in because when the house of cards drops, it's going to go fast. BTW, I'm neither long nor short on AOL, just dumbfounded on the lunacy of this market...