 Radio ActiveMy pappy's a pistolPremium
join:2003-01-31
Fullerton, CA
| An example of a former user My father in law had AOL for years(I should add that this is not intended to be a bash on AOL).
When we got DSL he wanted to keep AOL, so I set his machine up to access their network via TCP/IP, with "Bring your own access". At first he was impressed by the speed of the connect(who wouldn't Be?).
Over time, as he learned more about surfing, he came to realize he did not need AOL anymore. I spent a lot of time explaining "new" concepts to him: E-mail, internet explorer, loging on, IM, anti-virus, firewalls, etc. When he became adept at "doing his own thing", he did not want AOL any more. He learned that the AOL "content" was "beneath" his new-found skill level of surfing and even his own computer usage.
"I don't need to pay AOL to bring me this content," he said one day. He got on the phone with AOL (I got a kick out of what he said to the rep on the phone) and told them he was cancelling, no he didn't want to reconsider; he didn't need them any more. Then he said, "If you guys remove ANY more money from my account, even by mistake, I WILL sue. I know how you guys operate, and I will not be ripped off!" (I should add that I advised him this might be one of their many money making tricks)
AOL crept quietly away, and we have not heard from them since, with the exception of the constant stream of letters and setup disks in those shiny tins(crap, each and every one of them, IMO), but they have not drawn ANY more money from his account.
I learned this a long time ago: I can do better for myself in terms of internet connectivity; I can make better decisions about how my computer is configured and how to keep it lean. When my father in law learned this, he became a more savvy surfer.
I think that as people become more knowledgeable, there is a percentage who will naturally move away from AOL, and explore their own niche of the internet without the AOL network to keep them safe and secure. They realize that AOL is beneath their level, and move away when they realize they don't "Need" AOL any more. The is probably a percentage of people who are fine with that knowledge, but for whatever reason, stay with AOL. Personally, I got bored looking at the same interface.
AOL, IMO, is for computer and internet noobs who don't know any better. As long as there are noobs, the marketing department at AOL will have job security.
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