America Online started as a direct dial-up content provider.  You connected through your modem and accessed their content, anything from chat rooms to knitting advice to the weather.  It was a self-contained, closed system.  They trail in Web access, but two areas where their program still excels ar E-mail and instant messaging.  Their simple, clear E-mail program leaves others so far behind.  Unfortunately, AOL's Web browser, although much improved, looks like an afterthought to their original extensive content site.  Since they were already well established and within sight of a profit when the Web started to take off in 1996, they could not design a Web browser from scratch, as could more nimble competitors who arrived later, such as Microsoft.

AOL can be difficult when dealing with more progressive Web media.  In some ways, they are the victims of their own success but so, often, are their subscribers.  'Churn' refers to the rate of turnover of subscribers.  A satisfied clientele will have a low churn rate.  Until about 2002, AOL had a high churn rate, reflecting their reliance on free introductory disks and a sometimes staggering disregard for the customer's actual experience, which culminated in the America Offline fiasco of 1997 when they did not have sufficient servers and incoming modems to accommodate their paid-up subscription.  Individuals dealing with the public are typically friendly and helpful, but the big system is obviously difficult to change and adjust.

In addition to its ease of use, which still provokes some sniffy snobbery among old internet hands, one considerable advantage of AOL's size is that you can connect almost anywhere worldwide. There are local access numbers in most countries (for an extra charge). All you need is a phone line. Should you have access to another internet service provider, you can still access AOL when you are connected to that network. Open the connection to your own provider, open the AOL application, go to the sign-on screen and select TCP/IP in the drop-down Location menu. Conversely, you can also use other browsers if you only have an AOL account. Sign on to AOL, then just open the browser of your choice.

Attachments to AOL E mail often arrive mangled, especially on the Macintosh. For this system, we suggest using the application MacLink Plus, which will restore the integrity of just about any file. For sending folders and directories containing multiple files, it's often better to compress them yourself first. AOL will always compress a folder attachment, often with impenetrable results for the recipient.