AOL Finally Realized AIM Is A Social Network... Two Years Too Late

from the a-bit-slow-on-the-uptake-there dept

Some blogs started spreading a rumor this week that AOL was working on its own "MySpace-killer," which honestly isn't that surprising. Given the attention that MySpace has been getting, just about every big online company seems to be working out ideas for building "their" MySpace. However, with all the buzz, AOL's own Ted Leonsis decided to head on over to his own blog to clarify. In it, he makes the big revelation that AOL has finally realized that their instant messaging platform AIM really is a social network, and rather than build a MySpace killer, they're simply looking to add social networking features to AIM. Of course, plenty of people asked why they weren't doing this two years ago, when it actually might have made a difference.
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  • identicon
    Laughing, 21 Apr 2006 @ 1:53am

    Heh

    No shock there, took them seven years to realize that dial-up wasn't the wave of the future....

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Dial-Tone, 21 Apr 2006 @ 2:46am

      Re: Heh

      While dial-up isn't the wave of the future, it is the only option in many places (esp. in places where the other option is satellite internet which is presently at least 3x more expensive and AO-hell's rising monthly fee).

      Where, you ask? America's heartland for one. The breadbasket appears to not be wired as of yet. Even hotels out there have really horrible "high speed" internet (which I keep finding out is largely a la satellite).

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Hegemon, 21 Apr 2006 @ 7:45am

        Re: Re: Heh

        "Not wired????" And I suppose we drive horses to work, too? I don't know where you get your information, but I have lived in Kansas and Nebraska all my life, and we have the same internet access available as anyone else in the country. The only thing I haven't seen here yet is FiOS, which is just barely available anywhere yet. Sure, the rural farmers don't have broadband in some areas, but that's true of rural areas everywhere. Then again, my dad lives 15 miles outside of city limits on a farm, and he gets 3MBit DSL. So, seriously, before you go spreading mor erumors about the "primitive" heartland, do your research.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Andrew Fife, 21 Apr 2006 @ 2:15am

    myspace for adults?

    I wonder if this will turn into myspace for adults?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      dan, 21 Apr 2006 @ 7:00am

      Re: myspace for adults?

      I can not conceive of anything AOL offers being for adults.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jake, 21 Apr 2006 @ 4:23am

    Saturated?

    How many "myspaces" can there be before the market is saturated? Or do you think that enough improvements can be continually made to get people to switch from their long time "homes"?
    And what is the solution for those too far from towns for highspeed?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      jim, 21 Apr 2006 @ 4:37am

      Re: Saturated?

      I think there is still room.

      Myspace is far from perfect.. and they are slow to improve or add the features people want.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Leo, 21 Apr 2006 @ 4:42am

    oh boy

    Yeah the market gonna over flow with all these wana be myspaces and the like. Life would be so much easier, if they could make this hudge partner ship put ideas and resources together to make a "super myspace.'' That way you wouldn't have to have 10 accounts on 10 different my space type websites to find friends and signifigant others.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 21 Apr 2006 @ 5:28am

    heck, when I want friends and significant others, I head on down to the local tavern. Now, if they could figure out how to put that online...... THAT's the wave of the future.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Fl.Gulfer, 21 Apr 2006 @ 5:41am

    AOL

    I don't understand why people pay these companys for internet access, I thought it was free with your Broadband or Dial-up connection. I know mine is.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Peter Griffen, 21 Apr 2006 @ 6:17am

    AOL should learn from Enron....the CEO's would make more money that way and the world would be a better place after. No more lieing, poor decision making on what people 'want', and definately no more ignorant PC users that are baby fed crap online. When I dropped AOL for RoadRunner 6 years ago, it was like being unplugged from the Matrix. Why cant people understand that there is so much more than a restricted internet?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ummmm, 21 Apr 2006 @ 6:31am

    AOL and Roadrunner are both owned by Time Warner. So from switch from one to another you really weren't "unplugging from the matrix", you were just connecting to a faster version of "the matrix"

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    phreakindee, 21 Apr 2006 @ 6:38am

    unplugged from the matrix of AOL software/spyware though, for sure

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    zeroth404, 21 Apr 2006 @ 6:42am

    why don't we focus on getting RID of myspace and idiots that don't belong on the internet, but instead somewhere in a bard looking to get laid?

    Sorry, I'm old fashioned when it comes to the internet. its a place to discuss and share things that matter -- not your teenage love life.

    cesspool.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Zeroth404, 21 Apr 2006 @ 6:43am

      Re:

      bard == bar;

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Dan, 21 Apr 2006 @ 8:30am

      Re:

      Haha, sorry buddy. I'm a teen and that's definitely one of the things i don't talk about online. Cheers.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 21 Apr 2006 @ 11:18am

      Re: lets get RID of myspace

      Every time i land on a myspace page i am assaulted with an indecipherable visual cacophony. It is like I am viewing some alien species' communication medium. Very disconcerting.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Pedren, 21 Apr 2006 @ 7:18pm

        Re: Re: lets get RID of myspace

        "Every time i land on a myspace page i am assaulted with an indecipherable visual cacophony. It is like I am viewing some alien species' communication medium. Very disconcerting."

        Aye, you do have a good point with the overzealousness of the average profile when it comes to picture, music and other junk, but completely getting rid of the system I think would be not in the best interests of the people who pay 3/4 of a million dollars for home page ads a day.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Luke, 21 Apr 2006 @ 7:12am

    The internet has changed...it's just visible now

    Zeroth, when I was a teenager and on the net I did the same thing except I did it on a Geocities page (right before Yahoo bought it).

    The discussion and things that matter are the teenage love lives to the teenagers. Sorry, but what matters to you doesn't matter to everyone.

    That's the beautiful part of the internet: I don't have to hear or see your conversation about worthless BS because I don't have to visit your webpage.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Luke, 21 Apr 2006 @ 7:14am

      Re: The internet hasn't changed...it's just visibl

      Blasted typos. My subject should read: The Internet hasn't changed...it's just visible.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Leah, 21 Apr 2006 @ 7:47am

    Myspace: Here's the catch

    The crap hole that Myspace is, you have to remember...the 16 year olds flocking to it are going to be in YOUR shoes in ten, twenty years.

    That's what myspace is banking on, (literally), and because of that they will listen to teenagers wants and needs above yours. Those teenagers with the silly bulletins and pictures are future IT support, game developers, software developers, bankers, lawyers and CEOs.

    Myspace is making smart decisions for the future success of it's own company, and you HAVE to respect that.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    sheshe, 21 Apr 2006 @ 8:58am

    psst... got a revelation

    watch out here~ we got a genius amongst us, but wait here's one for you.... are you listening?...

    ...the internet is a social network. BAM! How you like that for a revelation?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 21 Apr 2006 @ 9:07am

      Re: psst... got a revelation

      And here I've been thinking it was just a convenient method to time share my unused processor time.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    tk121, 21 Apr 2006 @ 9:08am

    They're a mess...

    AOL is too concerned with adding "features" to AIM that increase the delivery of advertising, and ways of somehow turning a free service into a way for them to make money.

    What they don't realize (and never will) is that this only serves to drive users further away, instead of actually attracting new ones.

    A lot of companies are doign this now, but for a company that is desperately grasping for market share, you think they'd be a little more careful with the one remaining thing they DO have.

    As usual, they've gone and F'ed it all up.

    Good riddance, hopefully they'll just go bankrupt already, and do everyone a favor.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      people people, 21 Apr 2006 @ 9:32am

      Re: They're a mess...

      Throwing around comments about a business doing things wrong and f'ing things all up, and hoping they "just go bankrupt already," is pretty lame. All these large companies that you all hate, are obviously not going to go bankrupt, and apparently, they are doing something right, as they are still in business.

      Companies like AOL or MS or any other leading company could easily ignore the "social network" buzz a la myspace, and they would be just fine.

      Stop hating and sounding like an ignorant individual, and just accept that there is nothing you can do, or will upon these companies to make them disappear.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Paul, 21 Apr 2006 @ 10:32am

    Most of the people on myspace can't get into a bar is why

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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