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

To: ahhaha who wrote (3676)	12/31/1998 12:36:00 PM
From: trouthead	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 29970

Why would a someone drop aol for athm? Most people go to aol because it is an easy front end to the online world. aol has created a closed, safe, catered community. Does athm offer a similar front end? I thought athm was just a cable based ISP, no? Certainly after someone has crawled around long enough on aol they may want to get up and walk with an athm (if it's available. Isn't athm only available inabout 13% of homes in the US?) or any of the other ISP's. Please use the ten gauge whip. jb

To: ahhaha who wrote (3676)	12/31/1998 11:06:00 PM
From: E. Davies	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 29970

Did MSFT really do this? Did they flood our attention with Windows? I don't think so. You are correct. Gates took an amazingly lucky break and built it into an empire with only the tinyest vision of what people need. Chase manufactured his empire out of thin air because he had a greater understanding of the common man. But the priciples have been the same. #1 is the brand. Microsoft is PC software and AOL is online as kleenex is facial tissue. They accomplish this now by flooding, destroying, absorbing, and copying. "Windows" is now in servers,desktops, laptops, handhelds, palmtops, set top boxes, phones, cars, and even video games. But this doesnt succeed without using your power to destroy the competition or buy them if you cannot destroy or copy if you cannot buy. Note I'm not placing a value judgement here, just describing the tactics. AOL is following the same gameplan. That is why they bought Compuserve and why they bought Netscape. Easier to use the power of the stock price to add to the AOL name than to try to win them over user by user. AOL has a brand, but can they keep it in face of superior technologies? I'm truely shocked that someone with as little respect for the "public" as you doesn't "get it". Superior technology has nothing to do with it. All Microsoft software has had superior competition, Motorola processors were superior to Intel, Compuserve and "the Web" are superior to AOL. It doesn't matter. Why? Because the "masses" have a need (right or wrong) for conformity and a need to be limited. Too many choices otherwise, too much energy consumed making all those choices. I like ATHM because they will be "the" ISP. You want to connect to the modern world you have to go through @home. People wont say "do you have broadband internet access?", they will say "Do you have @home?". AOL will succeed as a content provider. They will find a way to get broadband one way or another. If they cannot destroy ATHM through the FCC or through xDSL, they will buy access through ATHM by buying a share of ATHM or making a deal with ATHM. Jermoluk doesn't appear to have such an ego that he'd turn down the opportunity to have quick access to 15 million subscribers. But first AOL will need to learn that they won't win this one by destruction. Dont underestimate how far the masses will go just to not have to change their xxx@aol.com e-mail address! Eric