Nothing says I am not tech savy better than an AOL email.....unless you are verizon

4.4 billion......are there still that many people who do not understand they are on broadband now and the portal has been dead for over a decade.....I guess a marketing bonanza......to have that many stupid people in one place gobbling up their sophisticated advertising.......oh well, I keep telling a person who still uses AOL as his portal and email......"you do understand you are on broadband".......mind numbing.

2seaoat wrote:4.4 billion......are there still that many people who do not understand they are on broadband now and the portal has been dead for over a decade.....I guess a marketing bonanza......to have that many stupid people in one place gobbling up their sophisticated advertising.......oh well, I keep telling a person who still uses AOL as his portal and email......"you do understand you are on broadband".......mind numbing.

You and I are rarely in agreement about anything.
But I agree with every word of this post. If Verizon is paying $4.4 billion for AOL, what's next? Are they gonna pay $4.4 billion to buy a typewriter factory too?

Verizon (VZ) Communications has entered an agreement to buy AOL (AOL) in a $4.4 billion cash deal.  The New York-based companies will combine in an effort to build out a digital advertising business.

At $50 per share, Verizon is paying a 17% premium over Monday’s close of $42.59, but it is a far cry from the $160 billion that AOL paid for Time Warner (TWX) in 2000, now known as one of the worst mergers in history.

This time, AOL is the smaller player, with most of its efforts focused on businesses that barely existed 15 years ago.  Under the leadership of CEO Tim Armstrong, AOL has centered its business on video ads and blog content. AOL owns both the Huffington Post and TechCrunch brands.

“We have built one of the best advertising platforms in the world,” Armstrong said in a memo to employees on Tuesday.  “Now it is time for us to fully open up the mobile frontier.”

Analysts say Verizon sees opportunity in AOL’s advertising business because it could support the over-the-top video service that Verizon plans to release later this year. The service would allow broadband subscribers to view premium video content on mobile devices and AOL’s video ad network could help Verizon monetize this business.

“What we are expecting is a Netflix-type streaming platform where people can watch a wide array of movies and shows,” said Roger Entner, analyst at Recon Analytics.  “They are basically buying an advertising platform so they can keep the money themselves.”

http://www.businessinsider.com/ott-why-verizon-bought-aol-2015-5

I do not get using AOL.....I miss the hum of the phone modem.

The political chatrooms of AOL were a hoot back in the mid 90s.

Hallmarkgard wrote:Verizon (VZ) Communications has entered an agreement to buy AOL (AOL) in a $4.4 billion cash deal.  The New York-based companies will combine in an effort to build out a digital advertising business.

At $50 per share, Verizon is paying a 17% premium over Monday’s close of $42.59, but it is a far cry from the $160 billion that AOL paid for Time Warner (TWX) in 2000, now known as one of the worst mergers in history.

This time, AOL is the smaller player, with most of its efforts focused on businesses that barely existed 15 years ago.  Under the leadership of CEO Tim Armstrong, AOL has centered its business on video ads and blog content. AOL owns both the Huffington Post and TechCrunch brands.

“We have built one of the best advertising platforms in the world,” Armstrong said in a memo to employees on Tuesday.  “Now it is time for us to fully open up the mobile frontier.”

Analysts say Verizon sees opportunity in AOL’s advertising business because it could support the over-the-top video service that Verizon plans to release later this year. The service would allow broadband subscribers to view premium video content on mobile devices and AOL’s video ad network could help Verizon monetize this business.

“What we are expecting is a Netflix-type streaming platform where people can watch a wide array of movies and shows,” said Roger Entner, analyst at Recon Analytics.  “They are basically buying an advertising platform so they can keep the money themselves.”

http://www.businessinsider.com/ott-why-verizon-bought-aol-2015-5

Thanks for sharing this.  It helps me better understand what's going on here.
AOL is trying to get into the 21st century by getting into the streaming movies business.  And by doing so, they're finally giving their customers something of value for the subscription fee besides webmail and a browser (both of which have been given to us free by AOL's competitors for decades now).

And your article specifies what Verizon's interest in this is.

Ahhhh, the thought of the sound of telephone dial up and "you've got mail" brings a small tear to the eye.

I never had the privelege of listening to the "you've got mail" thing.
At the time AOL was ramping up,  so was another internet browser called "Netscape".

I says to myself "shazaam,  looks like I have two choices.  Either I can pay money for a browser,  OR I can have one for free".

I guess I'm just a skinflint but the answer to that one seemed like a no-brainer to me.  lol

However,  regardless if I paid money for the browser or not,  I did get to share in that wonderful experience called dial-up internet.
In fact,  I experienced that the REALLY hard way.  I decided I didn't even need to pay for that either.  
Does anyone remember NetZero?   Here's how that one worked.  
With a Netzero connection,  you would type a URL into the browser and hit "enter".
Then you had time to take a shower, go eat dinner,  see a movie after dinner,  and by the time you got back home it only took another half hour for that web page to fully load.  Truly miraculous.  lol

Privileged. That was me with AOL.