

60% of AOL's Profits Come From Misinformed Customers - solipsist
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/21/aols-dirty-little-secret-_n_812307.html?ir=Business

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gexla
I call BS on this. A large portion of those users are probably using AOL more
out of comfort than from being misinformed. Change their routine and they
would likely be lost.

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sielskr
Read this passage again:

>"The dirty little secret," a former AOL executive says, "is that seventy-five
percent of the people who subscribe to AOL's _dial-up service_ don't need it."
[emphasis mine].

The OP (at Huffington Post) very strongly implies that they do not need it
because they connect to the internet through DSL or cable. I take that to mean
that these customers use web services and client software that AOL offers for
free or at a much lower rate if the customer does not need AOL's dial-up
service, i.e., basic TCP/IP connectivity, to connect to the internet.

~~~
gexla
I believe you are correct on this. I thought AOL had a paid service for
broadband access, but there is a free plan as well. The paid plans include a
dial-up backup and McAfee security.

