Time Warner Considering Demerging with AOL 105
Gracenotes writes "According to the Daily Telegraph, America Online CEO Jonathan Miller notes that AOL might be successful enough to break away from Time Warner and still remain in business. According to Miller, AOL is providing many online services, which provide competition against Google, Yahoo, and other rivals. Since its merger with Time Warner and plummet in value, such features have been increasingly emphasized."
Providing services? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Providing services? (Score:5, Informative)
demerge: \De*merge"\, v. t. [L. demergere.] To plunge down into; to sink; to immerse.
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Demergers page on Australian Tax Office website [ato.gov.au]
Re:Providing services? (Score:5, Funny)
> words, or that they are being used correctly.
Like "Honesty," "Integrity" and "Ethics" for example.
Words (Score:3, Insightful)
If you can say it, it's a word.
Dictionary's reflect language; language doesn't wait for the next Webster-Merriam standard revision.
Besides, demerger is a word, even in that context. [reference.com]
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Hooray for AOL... (Score:5, Interesting)
Can anyone actually think of a reason this is good news?
Re:Hooray for AOL... (Score:5, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
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Clueless, uses MS Windows + AOL
Non-clueless, block all that is AOL,
Non-clueless, internet experience improves 30,000%
No problem
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Re:Hooray for AOL... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Hooray for AOL... (Score:4, Insightful)
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Re:Hooray for AOL... (Score:4, Informative)
I'm a member of our Local Search Products team, and I can assure every employee in a far-off branch of the company that AOL is far from dead weight. We make an assload of money with our web products, and our online advertising business is growing faster than anyone else's. Before you speak, check the balance sheet.
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Because hopefully any positions that were deemed "redundant" after the merger would be made available again, which gives some additional people work. Maybe.
Seems like Time Warner wants to cut its losses (Score:5, Insightful)
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I think many people - especially Warner investors - must be interested why investments into merger did not pay off.
Thou it is apparent, that both AOL and Warner have problem innovating and adjusting business to changing reality. They might have being killer combination, but as of yet, Apple's iTMS does now what they have promised many years ago but never delivered.
AOL's Niche market (Score:3, Funny)
Are they serious? AOL? Successful? (Score:5, Informative)
Internet service provider AOL's sales may shrink for the next two years as it gives away services to win more users and attract advertising, its chief executive said in an interview published on Saturday.
"Maybe another two years, you are right there," Jonathan Miller said when asked by German newspaper Die Welt whether sales would continue to fall. "But it's about profitability for us in this phase."
In recent weeks, AOL has sold its Internet access units in Germany, France and Britain for a total of almost US$2 billion as it reshapes itself into a free Web portal where popular email and entertainment services are supported by advertising.
The only, ONLY thing holding AOL still together are people who are less internet savvy and those who cling to AOL email addresses for their lives (certain professionals, businesspeople, et al). Creating a successful and large advertising group sounds like it'd be tricky in such a large market. Most people think of AOL the ISP or the portal than the advertising giant.
Finally, it should be noted that AOL spokesman John Buckley said "Time Warner ``is not considering a sale or demerger,'" [bloomberg.com]
Re:Are they serious? AOL? Successful? (Score:5, Funny)
My uncle swears that AOL's browser is WAY better than MSIE, Netscape, or Opera (I've had him use all of them over trying to find one he can use). AOL works and the others never do - including allowing him to login to e-bay and page rendering. I wouldn't say "internet savvy" as much as "computer savvy".
He dropped DSL to go back to dial up because it was too "hard" to add a new e-mail through the browser - he needed AOL. I'm not real sure how he is taking the change. I know he is happy to be back in the fold, but I still hear him say he is going to go do something tonight that I know dial-up will never do (for instance, download and burn a DVD - good luck getting that done in a few hours on dial-up even though he swears it works fine). I think there is a certain amount of pride that will not allow him to say I am correct - I know he didn't download a 200+ meg file in the last 15 minutes on dial-up regardless of what he tells me.
*shrug*. I can not really understand being that clueless on anything. While there are many many many things I know nothing about I tend to either a) trust those that are experts and do as they say (and not argue with them) or b) learn enough to do it myself. Option A isn't a big deal - there are too many things out there to know enough about (for instance, I depend on a car mechanic even though I *could* learn to do it on my own - I just do not have the time to do so and I do not enjoy working on a vehicle). Though even then I try and learn *something* about any thing I use daily/weekly, enough so that I can somewhat tell if someone is trying to rip me off or enough so that I can converse/understand what the experts tell me is wrong.
There is obviously a market for those types of people. While my uncle is one of the worst I know, he still is not that unique. And I do not think they will ever really advance, they do not want too.
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Re:Are they serious? AOL? Successful? (Score:5, Insightful)
People on slashdot often forget that we do not represent the majority. Just because people like us recognise when something is far better and are willing to spend 20 minutes switching, the majority are terrified that changing anything on their computer will stop it working (or I guess something along those lines).
Which is why there are so many countless stories of irrational 'upgradeaphobia' (my word, I claim it!) by otherwise quite intelligent people.
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"Oh, this? It's the latest version of Netscape. Oh, and mom, email is now in a separate program so it loads faster. You just double-click this icon that looks like an envelope with a bird on it."
Did I mention that my mother doesn't do much web browsing? I think she's happier now that "Netscape" has email as a separate program.
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Some people have bad memories of Netscape 4, mind you.
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They kept using Netscape 4 until Netscape 6 came out, then they wanted to move back to 4 because they hated 6's interface. Hence the move to Firefox/Thunderbird.
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More fatalistic, uninformed jive (Score:4, Insightful)
Another +5 mis-informative comment. If you think that after all the years it's been in business, AOL is still just an ISP, then you haven't been paying attention. Their other properties [wikipedia.org] more than pay the light bill, so to speak. Just because you're not aware of them doesn't mean they don't exist.
If AOL has a problem, it's that they are TOO big. They have a finger in too many pies, and have strayed far from their roots. They have lost focus as a company, sure, but to intimate that they are hanging on a thin financial thread that will break if your granny stops using them as an ISP is absolutely ridiculous and dishonest.
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The only, ONLY thing holding AOL still together are people who are less internet savvy and those who cling to AOL email addresses for their lives (certain professionals, businesspeople, et al). Creating a successful and large advertising group sounds like it'd be tricky in such a large market. Most people think of AOL the ISP or the portal than the advertising giant.
If people won't cancel the service because of their email address they're pretty dumb, considering you get to keep it free now even if you canc
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Agreed, and they seem to be working hard to alienate those users as fast as possible. I was recently helping an older woman get her computer feet back under her after a couple of years off. She was already familiar with AOL and wanted to keep using it. The problem was that the home page must have had 200 different l
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In some ways a victim of its own success (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:In some ways a victim of its own success (Score:4, Interesting)
But with most people getting broadband for free once these rollouts complete the only market for a subscription ISP will be for those that need something the free ISPs don't offer (static IP's, usenet, etc), that's not an AOL niche.
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I wouldn't be suprised to see the return of the old scheme from NTL where you get a not-so-broadband connection for a trivial amount (probably now free with phone or TV) which is limite
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AOL are one of the very few (and shrinking) number of UK ISPs that offer a truly unlimited, reliable connection. (btw I don't use AOL, I'm just saying!) May
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There's also talk about merging AOL into Time-Warner Cable prior to the upcoming TWC IPO which is supposed to raise money to let them buy up Adelphia and maybe even Cablevision Services down the road. Since AOL has had difficulties finding cable systems other than TWC to allow them to offer cable modem service, this might actually make sense.
On the other hand, we *are* talking about AOL, so the whole thing might go down in flames.
Competition? (Score:5, Funny)
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For example what if they offered their library of media along with the AOL subscription... they would have been there before iTunes even started.
What a waste.
True enough, but... (Score:2)
I don't think that was a majority of either TW or AOL, rather a combination of both orgs' strengths.
The web really was the best venue for that type of event. TV just didn't do it justice.
AOL can make it, we aren't their target audience (Score:1)
Re:AOL can make it, we aren't their target audienc (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm of the opinion that AOL is dying, and because of a combination of inconvenience, ads, and bad maneuvers in the past, it won't make make up for itself, even if a format change happens soon.
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AOL as a content provider is a sure loser. If you were trying to get to the largest possible audience with your product (TV show, music, etc...) would you go with a provider that has such a miniscule user base and lock out the rest?
LK
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Re:AOL can make it, we aren't their target audienc (Score:2)
At work most of the guys at the top of the Org Chart use AOL at home. Why? Because it works with everything else they use. Their Cell phones, their iTunes store, etc.
It is surprising, but I've had a hard time convincing myself to push anyone towards a gmail account at work when AOL works with so many different services. I still think AOL is the Epson of ISP's, but that's because they assume (sometimes rightly) that their users are ignorant and incapable of doing anyt
Obligatory Onion reference (Score:2, Funny)
The Onion, 2003-03-12
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/27938 [theonion.com]
ATLANTA--According to a videotaped message airing exclusively on CNN, media mogul Ted Turner has sent himself back in time to January 2000 to avert the catastrophic merger of America Online and Time Warner.
"By the time you see this, I will have returned to Year Zero of the AOL Time Warner merger in a time machine of my own design," said Turner in the three-minute message, which
have they tried calling AOL yet? (Score:5, Funny)
TimeW: Well, I'd like to cancel my service
AOL: sorry to hear that, can we offer you our high speed internet services?
TimeW: No, thats ok.. I just want to cancel the account, I'm not a n00b anymore.
AOL: have you tried our great new chatting shizz?
TimeW: look, I want to quit, do it now plz kthx
AOL: I"m having a hard time understanding exactly what you want me to do?
(insert 9 more minutes of infuriating banter here)
anyway.. Time Warner knows they have a dinosaur on their hands.
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Me: I want to cancel my account
AOL: IS there a problem with the service?
Me: No, my pc died and I can't afford to fix it for some months.
AOL: OK, but if you come back in the next 6 months you can have your original account names still.
Me: Cool.
AOL: Ok, thanks for your call, bye.
Job done.
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It would be if it was called America Online. it is marketed purely as AOL with no mention of America Online.
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The conversation will go something like this.. (Score:5, Funny)
AOL Exec: Really? Why do you want to demerge with us?
TW: I guess you weren't as profitable as we hoped.
AOL: Well, if I could offer you 10,000 free AOL shares would you consider not demerging?
TW: Look, it's a done deal. We're demerging. Just do it.
AOL: Really? You're sure I can't change your mind?
TW: We're demerging, dammit!
AOL: Let me put you onto my manager.
TW: Hey, wait, I just want to demerge *transfer*
AOL VP: So, sir. I gather you're thinking of demerging. Are you aware of the many benefits being merged with AOL offers.
TW: JESUS CHRIST! Just Dememerge already?
AOL VP: Okay, sir, just let me put you through to our demerging department.
*click*
TW: Hello? Hello? Fuckers! They hung up on me!
Re:The conversation will go something like this.. (Score:4, Funny)
AOL Exec: Really? Look. It's _US_ who bought _YOU_. So _WE_ are going to demerge with _YOU_, not the other way 'round.
TW: Ha ! Loser. We are bigger now. _WE_ are going to demerge with _YOU_.
AOL: Hell no ! _WE_ are going to demerge with _YOU_ motherf$%^# !
TW: No ! Because I'm going to call the demerge department now !
AOL: Not if I can get there quicker ! Hello ?! Hello ?! Fucker ! He hung up on me !
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Obligatory (Score:2, Funny)
Translation (Score:2)
Damn You AOL! You are sinking us in a hole! We must dump you now! Maybe that crummy OSTG will want it!?
AOL should demerge with the _real_ internet (Score:2, Funny)
When I see that someone has an aol.com email address I know exactly what kind of "skilled" "CS" "expert" he is and can skip most (if not all) questions of the job interview.
That saved me a lot of time in the past.
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Like aol has been usefull NOT!!!!! (Score:1)
Internet Blackhole? (Score:1)
AOL should stay put (Score:1)
They're really considering it. (Score:2)