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Marketed as an Internet Service Provider (ISP) for people unfamiliar with computers, America Online followed up its 1991 launch of America Online for DOS with America Online for Windows. The launch coincided with market growth in pay-bsed online services.
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Prior to 1995, America Online Subscribers only had acces to AOL's online content, and were walled off from the rest of the Internet.
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Until October 1996, AOL charged subscribers for usage by the hour. Afterwards, they began charging $19.95/month for dial-up internet service.
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Despite an initial setback due to users flooding dial-in servers, AOL users grew in just 3 years.
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In January 2000, America Online and Time Warner announce plans to merge. AOL shareholders would receive 55% of the new company. It was the largest merger in American business history.
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In the mid 2000's, AOL struggled with subscriptions and began offering security software packages, as well as personalised greetings as part of their subscription package
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Google purchased a 5% share of AOL for $1 billion
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Time Warner AOL hoped to win back former subscribers that had defected to free email providers (HotMail, GMail & Yahoo Mail) and reduce costs associated with their subscription model.
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AOL raises the price of their premium dial-up subscription package to $29.50/month, though there is a basic dial-up package priced at $9.95/month.
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Late 2007 saw AOL shift focus to advertising, and moves from Virginia to New York City that resulted in nearly %40 of AOL employees being laid off.
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By November 2007, AOL subscriptions had decreased from its peak number of 34 million to 10 million
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In February of 2008, Time Warner announced a plan to split up AOL’s internet service and advertising businesses, leaving open the possibility of selling the internet service business down the line. For much of 2008, AOL shed a number of services in order to focus more on advertising.
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AOL purchases social networking site Bebo for $850 million, and spent the rest of the year shedding extraneous services to cut costs.
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Formerly of Google, Tim Armstrong named Chairman and CEO
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In May 2009, Time Warner announced it was spinning off AOL at the end of the fiscal year, when Google’s shares expired. The failed merger with AOL was considered one of the worst in business history.
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In June 2009, AOL acquired Patch Media, intended to as news and information media for individual towns and communities.
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AOL sold Bebo, the social networking site, in June 2010 for a significant loss on investment.
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AOL also acquired TechCrunch in September 2010 as part of a new strategy of increasing quality online content.
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A month following the Huffington Post purchase, CEO Tim Armstrong announced cuts of almost 1000 jobs at AOL. He also mentioned plans to move AOL staff to have 70% in editorial or other content functions.
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On February 7, 2011, AOL purchased the Huffington Post for $315 million. Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post was named president and editor-in-chief of all Huffington Post and AOL content.
