Remember AOL? America Online was the first king of "dial-up" internet access at one time. Their favorite marketing technique was to send out countless floppie disks (remember those?) through the mail, to potential users. I would venture to guess that many of the people reading this article had AOL at one time, if you're over 30. I used them myself, many years ago. Well, with the new Google crew they just got onboard, they plan to return to simpler times with fewer onsite ads.

There is a reported spinoff from Time Warner in the works, and it looks like the new team at AOL are anxious to hit the ground running. They say they are trying to prove that the AOL brand is worth more than the current revenues would suggest. Personally, I think they're just going to charge more for advertising. I guess time will tell. They still own many very visible and important sites, remember mapquest? I think AOL has a long way to go to be anywhere close to the visibility they once had, prior to Google, Yahoo, Myspace, Facebook, and on and on. Does anyone
believe AOL can move their brand into a prominent online position again? What's your opinion...leave a comment.

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