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To: tom pope who wrote (42)	3/19/1998 3:30:00 PM
From: Robert Douglas	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2025

Tom. Merrill cut its' rating on AOL today. <EOM>

To: tom pope who wrote (42)	3/19/1998 5:18:00 PM
From: appro	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2025

>>why so many people develop a dependence on AOL when direct access to the Web is now so easy<< Good question. I submit the answer is the inertia of familiarity (staying in the comfort zone) plus some natural fear of the unknown. 1. I started surfing the web three years ago with MSN holding my hand. I would have paid them a premium to stick with my little circle of friends on the bulletin boards behind the gates. BUT a variety in insufferable problems were introduced which forced me to a bare bones isp (Sprynet)which helped me get going again without anything more than my old browser and a new dial up networking script. Big joy for me ever since, but first MSN had to force me out of the nest. Now I'm flyin' free as a bird. 2. My roommate has her computer connected through the same phone line as mine, thus it should make sense we only need Sprynet. Yet she keeps wanting to sign back on with MSN and her favorite, AOL because she likes their forums or whatever. It seems to me, for the most part, those forums are open to anyone now even though AOL does not advertise this fact to their members. Still, I think AOL has a major brand identity following which is worth a lot when you see what Coke and McDonalds have accomplished with their brands.

To: tom pope who wrote (42)	3/20/1998 5:47:00 AM
From: Jonathan Bird	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 2025

I've never understood why so many people develop a dependence on AOL when direct access to the Web is now so easy - subscribers gain very little against AOL's access and slow response problems. If one listens to most the "techheads" one would think the the words "AOL User", "Neophyte" and "Lamer" have become synonymous. I am a volunteer "Communitly Leader" at AOL and I know the service backwards and forwards. I am also a "techhead" and have been using data communications from home since well before the introduction of the GUI, and I even remember the days when a 150 baud modem was labeled HIGH SPEED. That's .15 Kbps people and I can hardly believe it myself how far things have come. Its true that AOL now has a very powerful brand and marketing engine. And its true that AOL is the easiest to setup and use and therefore attracts many new net and computer users. But the secret to AOL IMO is its people orientation rather then computer orientation. AOL's eMail, chat, messaging and other interactive features are more powerful then anything on the net. These features put the "real life" in the service in the form of your friends and loved ones. The AOL service caters to social beings rather then computer users. This is what the non techheads need to warm up to the box. And it is also coincidentally why I feel PX has underestimated the next big thing potential of video conferencing and other person to person technologies that will convince the other half to pay for one of these computer dealies. This AUI stuff, while fascinating, is a long ways off from mass acceptance. The technological hurdles are too huge to make it anything more then a secondary computer interface for a long time IMO. And why, when we are only at the very early stages of the "Internet Era", worry about trying to catch the next era in computing right now? We are only just getting started here!! But back to AOL... AOL is weak in the areas of speed and reliability. But no one service is reliable enough as far as im concerned and that probably explains why I have 2 ISPs, a Compuserve and an AOL account. Its interface is superior to the web in my opinion. And if you haven't tried AOL in a while then give it another when the 4.0 software is released. The windoze version is catching up to the Mac version in its aesthetic details. Its content is organized, and the noise is filtered out for people that don't have all day to sit in front of the computer and look for stuff like we do. Its parental controls make it kid safe which is a bonus for those suffering from net hysteria. AOL has many advantages plus everything the net has to offer. And they also have big plans. I am exposed to a lot of technologies at AOL before the happen through friends and beta tests. They are undoubtedly a force to be reconed with and I haven't yet seen anything on the horizon with potential to dethrone them. Having said that I still can't get myself to pay that much for AOL stock. :) Jon Bird