# AOL to Offer Free Email. Who Wants to Join?



## Hulk701 (Dec 5, 2003)

*NEW YORK (Reuters) -*_ America Online will begin offering a free e-mail service on Wednesday tied to its popular instant messaging service, ahead of a big relaunch of its free AOL.com Web site later this year.

AOL's free Web-based e-mail service is nearly a decade behind Microsoft's Hotmail service and several years behind a Yahoo E-mail offering.

AOL is a bit late to the Web mail game, but it's not too late," said Joe Laszlo, a senior analyst at Jupiter Research. "It's a question of integrating different communications channels together giving them an opportunity to go a bit further than anyone else has gone."

The once prominent provider of paid online services will offer free e-mail to 20 million active users of the free AOL Instant Messenger as a test before it's final launch about a month later.

The e-mail service, which offers 2 gigabytes of free storage space, will be subsidized by banner advertisements that run alongside the e-mail screens, similar to other free Web-based e-mail services.

AOL has been losing subscribers to phone and cable companies offering high speed Internet packages. At the same time, AOL's advertising revenue has exploded, jumping 45 percent in its most recent first quarter from a year ago, prompting the Internet service to rethink its strategy last year.

AOL will be up against Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news), at which e-mail services accounted for 53.2 percent of traffic to all Web mail services in the week ended May 7, according to measurement firm Hitwise.

It will also be up against Google Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG - news). Google's e-mail service, Gmail, helps marketers target e-mail users by serving ads linked to key words in e-mail text. Google uses technology to sift through e-mail for relevant text and has said no humans actually read users' e-mail.

An AOL executive said AIM Mail will also include junk e-mail fighting features, like AOL._
Here's the Story:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=582&e=1&u=/nm/20050511/wr_nm/media_aol_dc

I don't understand. If its going to offer free email to its current subscribers, are they therefore going to lower its subscription costs....


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## josdegr (Apr 10, 2005)

are you a salesman/spokesperson for AOL?


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## Gabriel (May 2, 2003)

Does that mean I can keep my AOL mail if I discontinue their ISP service......That would be an advantage to me when I'm ready to wean off of their service?


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## Hulk701 (Dec 5, 2003)

josdegr said:


> are you a salesman/spokesperson for AOL?
> 
> http://forums.techguy.org/t361355.html


No, on the contrary, I just quit:

http://forums.techguy.org/showthread.php?t=251607&page=12&pp=15&highlight=hate+aol

See the last couple of pages of that thread.


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## Gabriel (May 2, 2003)

I don't understand what you mean?


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## Gabriel (May 2, 2003)

Are you saying they can get in my PC and get personal info?


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## cheese (Jun 22, 2003)

Hes trying to recruit us to join the corruped AOL army


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## Hulk701 (Dec 5, 2003)

Gabriel said:


> Are you saying they can get in my PC and get personal info?


Hackers use all sorts of techniques to do exactly that. Trojans used to be a nuisance. Today many trojans are made to hack into your computer and steal passwords.

There have been several news articles over the years about AOL being hacked. (along with Microsoft and other isp's, but AOL is the biggest target because they have the largest database)

Hackers can also get your info by using someone in the inside to take your credit card info.

yes, I'm afraid they can....

Just make sure you check your statment each month and report irregularities *immediatly*... :up:


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## Hulk701 (Dec 5, 2003)

cheese said:


> Hes trying to recruit us to join the *corruped AOL army *


Too late, it alrady happened...


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## Gabriel (May 2, 2003)

Thanks for answering Hulk......

......do you know if I will be able to keep my email if I get rid of them as an ISP.....Like how I still have email at MSN, but they aren't my ISP anymore?


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## Hulk701 (Dec 5, 2003)

Gabriel said:


> Thanks for answering Hulk......
> 
> ......do you know if I will be able to keep my email if I get rid of them as an ISP.....Like how I still have email at MSN, but they aren't my ISP anymore?


It sounds to me like you have to keep AOL instant messaging, so you have to keep aol. I_ don't know exactly _ how it works. Like I said, I quit last month so you'd have to ask them.

BTW, if you quit* be careful*. Switching over is going to be _a real pain_. Also, AOL may keep billing you if you quit. They also might offer you two months of free service before you quit. BEWARE, they also bill you for one of both months.

Check the link I posted above for more info or you can pm me.

HULK! :up:


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

I've used AOL instant messaging for years and haven't subscribed to their crappy service


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## Gabriel (May 2, 2003)

Thanks to you both.....I think I have enough info to do what I want......if they will do it that is.....


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