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Technology Stocks : America On-Line (AOL) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: freeus who wrote (16812)	5/12/1999 10:26:00 PM
From: Spreck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 41369

Freeus if we consolidate at theses prices for a while I am just fine with that.... It is when we fluctuate like a monkey swinging in the trees up and down the stomach does not appreciate those wild swings Spreck GO AOL GO

To: freeus who wrote (16812)	5/12/1999 10:44:00 PM
From: DOUG H	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 41369

Don't sell your shares just yet. Last week I told you why portals are in trouble. Click for more. Today I'll explain why America Online -- which many think of as a portal -- is about to kick Microsoft's butt. The reason is AOL is more than a portal. It's an access provider (more on that in a minute). And it's about to become a hardware provider too. In the two decades I've spent scrutinizing the computer industry, I've watched rulers come and go. And unless Bill Gates gets his company's act together fast, I say Microsoft's reign will end. I'm nominating America Online as the next ruler of the technology world. Later today AOL releases its latest earnings report. Analysts anticipate the online services giant will rake in big bucks. And I anticipate AOL will continue to expand its kingdom and acquire new subjects with feverish abandon. Anyone seeking a piece of the tech throne should heed AOL's proven success formula: Distribution is king. As a content provider it pains me to say this, but content doesn't mean squat if it isn't seen. Great Web content wins only with distribution deals that put it in front of enough eyeballs. AOL has 17 million subscribers. MSN isn't even close. The future is here. AOL has a lock on Web-browsing PC users. And it's already targeting an even more important group -- the huge wave of consumers who will browse via set-top boxes, screen phones, digital TVs and handhelds. AOL-branded products are in the works in all of those categories, and more. Meanness is an asset. As Web pundit Dave Winer pointed out in his piece on standards yesterday: "AOL gets the nasty side of the business." Click for more. Sneaky is also useful. Bill Gates and Microsoft can easily match AOL's mean streak. But AOL is also sneaky. Witness how it maneuvered the SEC into forgiving their financial transgressions. How it escaped heat when it got caught selling members' private info to spammers. How it raised prices higher than anyone else and got away with it. Names are golden. While many avoid the Internet access business as too difficult, AOL sees gold in the names and credit card numbers it collects with each new subscriber. They're worth a king's ransom in the direct marketing game -- and you can bet AOL will push the limits of personal privacy to mine their members' personal info for profit. Before we bow down to King Steve Case, there is one chink in the armor. AOL doesn't have an angle on broadband distribution. AT&T and the other cable companies are locking them out, though AOL is lobbying hard to change that. Click for more. In the end I'm guessing AOL will buy its own cable companies… and then lock everybody else out. (Remember what I said about mean and sneaky?