AOL Relaunching, Focuses on Video, Daypart News
AOL is trying to find its footing again after breaking away from Time Warner.
There was a time when America Online (AOL) seemed to rule the Internet--the North American aspect, at least--offering subscribers access to exclusive content, online chatting, social games, a portal to the new World Wide Web and more. It seemed to define what Americans viewed as the Internet and even became the centerpiece for many popular movies in the 1990s. But after its 2001 merger with Time Warner, service usage began to drop, the latest numbers indicating a fall from over ten million in November 2007 to just over 4 million in June 2010.
But things may be changing for the pioneering Internet service. In December 2009 AOL officially ceased to be a part of Time Warner. Now almost a year later the service has officially re-launched, focusing on day-part programming and video content. The company claims that the revamped service is based on visitor interests and user habits including making multiple visits "throughout the day with an increasing affinity for photos, video, commerce and causes."
According to the company, new AOL features will include "You've Got," a platform where "famous and not-so-famous" get 45 seconds to send a message to Americans. The new Light Box will be the service's new video player whereas AOL Daybreak will provide a morning news round-up. Viral videos will receive a two-minute focus each day via The ONE, and the Daily Buzz will be based on stories people are talking about and sharing. Editor's Picks, WOW! Deal of the Day and Cause Marketing were three other services mentioned by AOL in its official launch announcement.
Monday AOL also said that visitors will receive a heaping of news in three chunks: morning, daytime, and evening, mimicking the big TV networks. The most important stories of the day will be reported in the morning while breaking news updates will take place in the Daytime segment. The Evening news will wrap up the day's overall coverage while adding themed stories and more.
"The highly-visual new AOL.com puts video front and center," the company said. "AOL has partnered with a group of leading creators of high quality made-for-Web video whose content will be featured regularly on AOL.com and throughout all areas of AOL’s network along with video content created in AOL’s own state of the art HD studios in New York and Los Angeles."
AOL still offers monthly subscriptions starting at $9.99 for those accessing the Internet via a modem. The free version for Broadband users offers AOL email, online customer support and the all-in-one AOL software suite.
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The old day when they over charged for simple dial up. Go away aol - nobody cares about you any more.
What? I thought they were gone forever. Certainly hoped so. Never missed them.
I wonder if they're still using that hacked-up IE mess of an interface.
damn...they still make modems? wtf people...
so AOL is relaunching again with absolutely nothing to offer. i hope there CD's don't start coming in the mail again
lol - I forgot all about AOL.
AOL is a useless company, just as they were back in the dial-up days. And $9.99 for dialup? I guess they're going for that 1% of America that either can't get any better, or can't afford $14.99 basic DSL that almost everyone offers now.
i remember using about 300 of their unused disks to turn a wall in the back of my basement into a giant mirror... best use of an aol cd ever.
Dear AOL
That sound you hear is us leaving as the water is rushing into the ship.
love
the rats
Ah, the days of AOL in the late 90's... I really hated those days using my first pc, you get infected by porn sites you never visited in the first place. AOL was infected with malware, viruses and Trojan horses at every click.
4 million people are still using AOL?
I actually hadn't thought about AOL for a few years now. I hadn't noticed that I hadn't thought about them either. They always had a crappy product for which they charged too much. Good riddance, I say.
American online! No wonder it's number one!
hahahaha
A long time ago, in my high school days, I worked at OfficeMax, and we had a sale one week on a monitor. So this customer calls in, and asks about "that computer in the ad". Having no fucking clue what she was talking about we ended up figuring out she was talking about that monitor. So we tell her we have it, and inform her it's only a monitor, as she kept saying "computer" the whole conversation.
So she comes down to the store, says she's the one that called about the "computer", and again I inform her, it's only a monitor. As I hand her the box she says, "So how do I hook this up?" I tell her all she needs to do is plug in the power, and then plug the cable with the pins into the blue port on the monitor, and the blue port on the computer. "P-ports? P-plugs? What's that? This has the keyboard and everything right?" Sighing I say for probably the 20th time, "No, it's only a monitor, like we told you, we don't have any computers here for $200, (this was 2004 so there weren't that many places that did) we only have the monitor." She gets all in a huff and says "Well I saw on the AOL..." and that's where I stopped listening. She referred to the internet as "the AOL". These are the kinds of customers they still serve. Good luck surviving with that audience.
If they have a product that some people want, they are welcomed to try, but as far as I'm concerned, AOL can die.
Haters gonna hate!!!
Seriously, if they offer a service & people use it, why get so worked up?
Haters gonna hate!!!Seriously, if they offer a service & people use it, why get so worked up?
AMEN , honestly think a lot of the negativeity is just pent up nerd rage over all the hell we had with AOL back in the day . but can you really blame them at the time they captialized on soemthing before any one else did. there were a lot of other companeis that woudl ahve done the same. Where aiol went wrong is they got comfy maintianing the status quo , in and industry that thrives on innovation more than "holding the line".if AOL had made moves in treh late 90's to bring out thier own dsl or cable service , they might still be teh kings they were , but no they didn't bother going into hardware which was a must for any company that wanted to be useful in the uo and coming (at the time) broadband era . so here we are now in that broad band era , and look where AOL is at. they are on bottom , so their is no ened for this negativity directed at them, does the expression :kicking a man while he is down" mean any thing to any one of you haters?