AOL going AWOL?

Written by Larry Schneider
Thursday, 01 October 2009 00:00

Dear Larry,

Is AOL going to survive? Should I seriously consider an alternative source of e-mail? If so, what would you recommend? — F.B.

Dear F.B.,

AOL — America Online — has experienced a roller coaster history that most analysts agree is slowly coming to a far-from-storybook end. Over the years, AOL has served as the world’s biggest online community, at best a “walled garden” of information flow and at worst a prison that has kept its membership locked up within its universe. The company, which was originally founded in the 80s, has been the exclusive provider of Internet services to 30 million people at its peak. But with the advent of broadband competition in the form of DSL, Cable and FIOS — like access, it’s seen its shares fall like a stone as its revenues from dial-up access dwindled to nothing.

AOL’s $150-billion merger with Time Warner in the early days of this decade was intended to represent the pinnacle of success for both companies. Instead, it turned out to be the beginning of the end. AOL’s membership since then has fallen a staggering 75% as has its value — from $20 billion down to its current estimate of $5 billion. In an attempt to reinvent itself in recent years, AOL elected to give away its e-mail services in hopes of benefiting from its heavily ad-supported software and Web site. For many people, however, the ads have been obnoxious and distracting, driving much of the company’s membership away.

As AOL’s luster has faded, so has its software and support. Many people in recent years have complained about buggy software that hasn’t adapted well to changes in the computing environment. Complicating matters, AOL has suffered from an image rife with embarrassing lawsuits over billing practices and account cancellations, perhaps its most infamous horror story related by Vincent Ferrari. (See Youtube.com/watch?v=xaaAYVUWP0I.) I encourage my readers to check their bills carefully to ensure they, too, are not paying monthly for what is now, for the most part, a free service.

The fate of what’s left of AOL will soon rest in the hands of former Googler, Tim Armstrong, and suffice it to say, few if any people envy him his predicament.

So you’re ready to abandon ship before what may be its eventual sinking? I recommend you steer clear of free e-mail services offered to you by your broadband vendor (be it Optonline.net, Verizon.net, Att.net, etc.). The problem here is that if you ultimately switch vendors down the road for any reason, you’ll once again be faced with the prospect of losing your e-mail address. Instead, sign up for one of the many popular free e-mail services that are independent of your online service provider. Most popular among these is Google’s Gmail (www.gmail.com), but there are many others to choose from including Yahoo.com and Microsoft’s Hotmail.com. Whichever way you go, you’re more likely to inherit an e-mail address for life. If you want to export your AOL info to your new mail account, you may need my help or that of another computer professional.

This is Larry Schneider, logging off.

Larry Schneider is the owner of Accent on Computers, a Greenwich-based consulting firm serving PCs and Macs. Call 625-7575 or visit Accentoncomputers.com for more information or send an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .