AOL Hopes to Change Image With Services

Geoffrey writes "'In an effort to earn a new reputation as a leading Internet destination, AOL will open up to a wider audience on the Web through AOL.com. The portal will re-launch in beta form on Tuesday, offering visitors free Web mail, exclusive audio and video content, and access to a number of AOL services previously available only to subscribers,' reports BetaNews. The new AOL.com will highlight news from the blogosphere, offer free access to 15,000 videos, 130 radio stations, and 20 XM stations. In addition, AOL is launching an RSS aggregator that aims to make RSS actually simple for normal Web users. And unlike MSN's RSS endeavor, My AOL will work in Firefox, Safari and other browsers."

Comments

Sorry AOL

[chadpnet]

I hate to break the news to you but you are 12 years too late.

Re:Sorry AOL

[Scaba]

No, this is just a typical AOL "Me too!" response.

Re:Sorry AOL

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

Ah yes, Compu$erve, where you were charged by THE HOUR to use their service. I think they had premium services too. Didn't they also have some networked air combat flight sim many many many years ago, before online multiplayer games were commonplace?

I seem to remember the flight sim, yes. I also remember thinking they should have implemented an online snail racing game to maximize revenues from their insane hourly rates.

Re:Sorry AOL

[CosmeticLobotamy]

Prodigy and AOL both used to charge by the hour, too. My dad's beating arm was very sore after I spent 45 dollars playing Prodigy's maze game.

1992 Called...

[1992 Called]

They want their crappy ISP back.

also overheard at AOL.....

[perigee369]

" All your RSS are belong to us..."

Hey AOL

[all yr bass r belong]

All your user base are belong to us.

-- The rest of the Internet's ISPs

Everyone will like it!

[yellowbkpk]

Everyone will like it because its logo will have the word "Beta" in a cute little font down in the corner.

It's the cool thing to do now, doncha know??

Re:Frankly..

[dsginter]

And to tell you the truth, I have a bad feeling that this new service set will only confirm that stereotype.

But more importantly, how will this decision threaten Linux on the desktop?

News from the Blogosphere?

[Anonymous Coward]

Are they pulling from AOL blogs? I always wanted to have a collection of stories from high school girls about the prom and make-up.

AOLers response to getting new services

[FerretFrottage]

"me too"

Hurrah!

[brontus3927]

I think this is a good thing. Why? Because I collect email addresses. I already have two aim accounts (gaim is my best friend!) so there's two new email accounts right there. Add them to the two gmail accounts, two yahoo accounts, a netscape mail account, 5 hotmail addresses, and 3 corporate emails. Now I'm up to 15 email addresses!

AOL image

[Anonymous Coward]

Back in the 1990s I went to University by train. My University had many computer science students and most of them took the same train I used to commute to my "Big U".

So what do you do while on a train? Read tech magazines/periodicals of course. (Note: Back then notebook or laptop computers were to freakin expensive for the average CS student. That's right kids, no WLAN back then.)

And in all of those magazines and periodicals there were those "FREE AOL CDs". Tech savy as we were, we knew AOL was crap. So we threw the CDs out of the train windows to get rid of them.

This went on for years, every new week (and month) a new wave of AOL CDs (and only AOL CDs) was thrown out of the train windows by dozens (or even hundrets) of computer science studens...

Even today, on sunny days, you can see some left over CDs from those days on the train tracks. (I am not making this up...)

So, whenever I think about AOL, I think about those free CDs that went right out of the windows. Now freakin way AOL will ever have a good image in my mind... *grin*

Re:Wider audience?

[Leroy_Brown242]

As a dress, I hope.

I mean, damn. i can't imagine the size of person that would be required to make that shirt fit. :)

PNG Alpha?!

[rob123]

off topic but... I find it amusing that they themselves have realized their PNG alpha issue.. they check for IE, and then load this css

Re:"I work at MSN"

[H_Fisher]

Disclaimer: I work at MSN

Son, you'd best get outta town. Them men over there wit' th' penguins on their jackets just drew a bunch of guns.

Slashdottersville: Where The Good Guys Wear Red Hats

Re:Canceling their service...

[Anonymous Coward]

WTF? Please go back and finish the 6th grade, then try your post again.

Re:Frankly..

[Intron]

I have to agree that AOL has come a long way in grinding the rough edges off the net for its users. One of the stupidest people I know can use the internet only because of AOL [yes, I mean YOU, the one who bought her computer on Home Shopping Channel, fer Chrissakes].

Re:Canceling their service...

[sTalking_Goat]

Back 96 when I would use one free trial cancel it just before it was up and start another I had this down to an art.I could get a cencellation put through in about ten minutes.

I had free internet service for about 8 months until they caught up to me and threatened to sue. We settled on a lifetime ban.

Looks like I'll outlive them.

HaHa!