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More Free Services to be Offered by AOL

AOL, who had introduced millions of people to the Internet, is about to undergo some changes and to offer more free services, such as e-mail accounts, in hopes to pay it back by means of advertising. This is quite a risky decision, since AOL could lose nearly a billion of dollars a year because of customers who would probably drop their paid subscriptions.

In 1985 AOL was the first to show the Americans what is e-mail, instant messaging and the Web. The majority of users then connected to the Internet by telephone dial-up modems. As US was turning to cable and phone companies for high-speed service, there was no need to pay AOL, even if the company offered discounts. AOL`s subscription numbers started to decrease extensively.

And this is the main reason for AOL`s moving most of its content ? news, music videos, chat rooms ? to free, ad-supported Web sites. Free e-mail, which will be available soon, is very important because it is used often and repeatedly. While checking the e-mail, the chances are high that users will bump into an advertising content. AOL understands that its real value ? if at all ? is in an advertising and marketing policy.