美国在线公司-经济百科

本条目包含过多不是中文的内容，欢迎协助翻译。

若已有相当内容译为中文，可迳自去除本模板。

美国在线公司（AmericanOnline，简称AOL）

美国在线公司官方网站网址：http://www.aol.com

美国在线公司简介

美国在线（AOL）是美国时代华纳的子公司，著名的因特网服务提供商。

美国在线服务(AOL)公司：总部设在弗吉尼亚州维也纳的一种在线信息服务公司，可提供电子邮件、新闻组、教育和娱乐服务，并支持对因特网访问。美国在线服务(AOL)公司是美国最大因特网服务提供商之一。2000年美国在线服务(AOL)公司与媒体巨人华纳时代公司合并，2001年1月11日该交易被联邦贸易委员会证实。合并旨在扩展品牌内容服务以及通信服务的大众市场，合并后的公司形成了一个通信和媒体大公司，这个大公司拥有因特网最大用户群体，并有娱乐、出版和有线电视领域的广泛基础。

美国在线是全球首屈一指的ISP。而其旗下的另一公司CompuServe定位于增值业务。此外，AOL公司提供以下免费服务：数字城市（当地城市指南）、地图查找、Moviefone（影片相关信息以及和订票服务）、ICQ、AOLInstantMessager、Spinner（流式音乐）和Winamp下载。

2009年3月11日，AOL方面通过其在中国公关公司首度向搜狐IT宣布其退出中国大陆，终止北京公司的运营。

史蒂夫·凯斯

美国在线（AOL）的创始人：史蒂夫·凯斯（SteveCase）

史蒂夫·凯斯创立了“美国在线”，全美最大的网络服务商，是目前世界上两家真正通过网络赢利的公司之一，第一个被列入《财富》500强的互联网服务公司，个人年收入1.17亿美元，居《福布斯》杂志全美1999年50家高薪大公司主管的亚军。

公司历史

AOLbegaNASAshort-livedventurecalledQuantumComputerServices(orQCS),foundedbyWilliamvonMEISter.ItssolePRoductwasanonlineserviCECalledGamelinefortheAtari2600videogaMEConsoLEAftervonMeister'sideaofbuyingmusICOndemandwasrejectedbyWarnerBrothers.(Klein,2003)Subscribersboughtamodemfromthecompanyfor$49.95andpaidAONe-tIMe$15setupfee.GamelinepERMittedsubscriberstotemporarilydownloadgamesandkeeptrackofhighscores,atacostofapproximately$1PErhour.

In1983,thecompanynearlywentbankrupt,andaninvestorinControlVideo,FrankCaufield,hadafriendofhis,JimKimsey,broughtinasAMAnufacturingconsultant.Thatsameyear,SteveCasejoineDThecompanyasafull-timemarketingemployeeuponthejointrecommenDATionsofvonMeisterandKimsey.KimseywentontobecometheChiefExecutiveOfficer(CEO)ofthenewlyrenamedQuantumComputerServicesin1985,aftervonMeisterwasquietlydroppedfromthecompany.

Casehimselfrosequicklythroughtheranks;Kimseypromotedhimtovice-presidentofmarketiNGNotlongafterbecomingCEO,andlatERPromotedhimfurthertoexecutivevice-presidentin1987.KimseysoonbegantogroomCasetoascendtotherankofCEO,whichhEDIdwhenKimseyretiredin1991.

Kimseychangedthecompany'sstrategy,andin1985launcheDASortofmega-BBSforCommodore64And128computers,originallycalledQuantumLink("Q-Link"forshort).TheQuantumLinksoftwarewaslicensedfromPlayNet,Inc.InMay1988,QuantumandApplelaunchedAppleLinkPersonalEditionforAppleIIanDMacintoshcomputers.AfterthetwocompaniespartedwaysinOCTOber1989,Quantumchangedtheservice'snametoAmeriCAOnline.[6][7]InAugust1988,QuantumlaunchEDPCLink,aserviceforIBM-compatiblePCsdevelopedinajointventurewiththeTandyCorporation.

Fromthebeginning,AOLincludedonlinegamesinitsmixofproducts;manyclassicandcasualgameswereincludedintheoriginalPlayNetsoftwaresystem.IntheearlyyearsoFAOLthecompanyintroducedmanyadditionalinnovativeonlineinteractivetitlesandgames,including:

GraphicalchatenvironmentsHaBItat(1986-1988)andClubCaribe(1988)fromLucasArts.ThefirstonlineinteractivefictionseriesQuantumLinkSerialbyTracyReed(1988).QuantumSpace,thefirstfullyautomatedPlaybyemailgame(1989-1991).TheoriginalDungeons&DragonstitleNeverwinterNightsfromStormfrontStudios(1991-1997),thefirstMassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame(MMORPG)todepicttheadventurewithgraphicsinsteadoftext(1991).Thefirstchatroom-basedtextrole-playinggameBlackBayou(1996-2004),ahorrorrole-playinggamefromHecklersOnlineandANTAGONIST,Inc..

InFebruary1991AOLforDOSwaslaunchedusingaGeoWorksinterfacefollowedayearlaterbyAOLforWindows.InOctober1991,QuantumchangeditsnametoAmericAONline.Thesechangescoincidedwithgrowthinpay-basedBBSservices,likeProdigy,CompuServe,andGEnie.AOLdiscontinuedQ-LinKAndPCLinkinthefallof1994.

Massivegrowth

CasepositionedAOLastheonlineserviceforpeOPLeunfamiliarwithcomputers,inparticularcontrastTOCompuServe,whichhADLongservedthetechNICalcommunity.ThePlayNetsystemthatAOLlicensedwasthefirstonlineservicetorequireuseofproprietarysoftware,ratherthanastandardterminalprogram;asaresultitwasabletoofferagraphicaluserinterface(GUI)insteadoFCOmmandlines,andwaswellaheadofthecompetitioninemphasizingcommunicationamongmeMBerSASafeature.

InparticularwastheChatRoomconceptfromPlayNet,asopposedtothepreviousparadigmofCB-stylechannels.ChatRoomsallowedalargegroupofpeOPLewithsimilarintereststoconveneandholdconversationsinrealtime,including:

Privaterooms-createdbyanyuser.Holdupto27people.Conferencerooms-createdwithperMISsionofAOL.Holdupto48peopLEAndoftenmoderated.Auditoriums-createdwithpermissionofAOL.ConsistedoFAStageandanunlimitednumberofrows.Whathappenedonthestagewasviewablebyeverybodyintheauditoriumbutwhathappenedwithinindividualrows,ofupto27people,wasviewableonlybythepeoplewithinthoserows.

Therewerealsotextgamesplayedinthechatrooms,knownasAOLchatroomgames.

InMarch1994,AOLaddedaccesstoUSENETtothefeaturesitoffered.

AOLQuicklysurpassedGEnie,andbythemid-1990s,itpassedProdigy(whichforseveralyearsallowedAOLadvertISIng)andCompuServe.

Originally,AOLchargeditsusersanhourlyfee,butin1996thischangedandaflatrateof$19.99amonthwascharged.Withinthreeyears,AOL'suserbasegrewto10millionpeople.Duringthistime,AOLconnectionswouldbefloodedwithuserstryingtogeton,andmanycanceledtheiraCCOuntsduetoconstantbusysignals.Also,gameswhichusedtobEPAidforwiththehourlyfeemigratedindrovestotheInternet.

AOLwasquicklyrunningoutofroomin1996foritsnetworkattheVienna,VAcampusandmovedtoDulles,VAashortdistanceaway.ThemovetotheDullestookplacein1997andprovidedroomforfuturegrowth.

AOLwasrelativelylateinprovidingaccesstotheopenInternet.Originally,onlysomeInternetfeatureswerEACcessiblethroughaproprietaryinterfacebuteventuallyitbecamepossibletorunotherInternetsoftwarewhileloggedinthroughAOL.Theywerethefirstonlineservicetoseamlesslyintegrateawebbrowserintocontent.

AOLintroducedtheconceptofBuddyLists,leveragingtheirone-on-oneinstantmessagingtechnology.

Changeinfocus

SinceitsmergerwithTimeWarner,thEVAlueofAOLhasdroppedfromits$200billionhigh.Ithasseensimilarlossesamongitssubscriptionrate.IthassinceattemptedtorepositionitselFASacontENTProvidersimilartocompaniessuchasYahoo!asopposedtoanInternetserviceproviderwhichdeliveredcontentonlytosubscribersinwhatwastermeda"wallEDGARden".In2005,AOLbroadcastedtheLive8concertliveovertheInternet,andthousandsofusersdownloadedclipsoftheconcertoverthefollowingmonths.

In2004AlongwiththelaunchofAOL4.0optimized,AOLalsomadeavailabletheoptionofpersonalizedgreetings.WhichwouldenabletheusertohearhISOrhernamewhilEACcessingbasicfunctions,mailalertsandlogginginorout.AmeriCAOnlineuserscanaccessthegreetingsrecordedbythefemalevoiceofPatrICIaWaldenorthemalevoiceofChrisKepics(http://chriskepics.googlepages.com)byinstallingversion9.0optimizedwhichcanbedoneonlinebygoingtoAOLKeyword:Upgrade.Oncetheuserisrunningthecurrentprogram,gotoKeyword:EventSounds,thenselect"Change"and"AddYourName"toaccessthevoices.

AOLeventuallyannouncedplanstooffersubscribersclassictelevISIonprogramsforfreewithcommerCIAlsinsertedviaitsnewIN2TVservice.Atthetimeoflaunch,AOLmadeavailableWarnerBros.Television'svastlibraryofprograms,withWelcomeBackKOTTerasitsmarqueeoffering.OthershowsincludeScarECRowandMrs.King,TheF.B.I.,FTroop,andGrowingPains.

In2006,AOLinformeditsAmericancustomersthatitwouldbeincreasingthepriceofitsdial-upaccessto$25.90.Theincreasewaspartofanefforttomigratetheservice'sremainingdial-upuserstobroadband,astheincreasedpricewasthesamepricetheyhadbeenchargingformonthlyDSLaccess.[8]However,AOLhasstartedofferingtheirservicesfor$9.95amonthforunlimiteddial-upaccess.[9]

OnApril3,2006,AOLannouncedthatthefullname"AmericaOnline"willberetired,andthattheofficialnameoftheserviceisnow"AOL".[10]

OnAugust2,2006,AOLannouncedthattheywillgiveawaye-mailaccountsandsoftwarepreviouslyavailableonlytoitspayingcustomersinastrategyshiftlikelytoacceleratethedeclineinitscoreInternetaccessbusiness.ThedecisionremovesthefewremainingreasonsformanyAOLsubscriberstokeeppayingwhentheyalreadyhavehigh-speedInternetaccessthroughacableorphonecompany.AOLhopesthatbymakingservicesfree,itcandrawInternetuserstoitsad-supportedWebsitesandkeepthemfromdefectingtoMicrosoFTAndYahoo!,whichhaveofferedfreee-mailforyears.