I like it. I like the inter op and I like the interface.
I am still connected. I went to AIM Fight and still had 200,000 or so interconnections live.
AIM. Check it out. Still the best instant messaging client software out there. Thank you.
Tag Archives: AIM
I Remember Fondly
I still use AIM. Do you? See this article.
I have some fun once in a while on AIM Fight.
I sure wish AIM Pages had worked.
Twitter feels like AIM status messaging to me introduced in 1996.
AIM was the first online product to dazzle and delight people.
AIM was fun. Light. Easy to use.
It worked. It scaled.
At its height, 14 million people around the world were using it at the same time!
It was an inspiration to many.
The first social network.
The first virally marketed product.
Kudos to the pioneers behind this great product and service from AOL. The good ole days!
Nostalgia is good but I still use AIM. I am proud to say that, too.
Drives Me Crazy
Sometimes being first isn’t the best right answer. I know - I once worked at AOL!
Google is making BIG NEWS. They have integrated phone calling from email and messaging that is called “convergence.” Text and audio. Together. Hooray.
Aol did this eight years ago!
AIM with VoIP and don’t forget AOLbyPhone.
What will be next - video conferencing integrated into mail and messaging? Been there and done that, too! I wish Aol could be reinvigorated again around “communications and content with commerce” relevantly baked in via presence. What is old is new again!
Simple Light Design Wins
Google: Grey on white. No clutter. No ads on home page.
Twitter: Tiny 140 character box.
AIM: Simple little message box.
Texting: Even smaller type - no gloss.
Groupon: Email with some funny copy.
Oh AIM — How Do I Respect Thee?
I was playing around with AIM clients this morning.AIM and buddy lists and instant messaging were pioneered by AOL more than a dozen years ago. Here is a link to the AIM page.
AIM really started the concept of viral marketing.We never spent a penny in its launch to get it out to consumers. Continue reading
It is a Floor Wax, Dessert Topping and More!
I was really surprised when I saw this design for a new Google communications platform called Wave. Click here to see the prototype. It is a mash up of mail; messaging; search; social networking; Twitter; dashboard; and Flickr. You name it - it is here! And now on sale, for free! 
Google won in a broadband Web 2.0 world because its design was simple, elegant and non intrusive. It did no evil.
I always commented that in irony of ironies - in a broadband rich media world - a dial-up 2400 baud design won out! Grey. Blue. Light. Fast. No photos. No load time.
Rip-off and a Compliment
As I noted, Twitter is a great product but a derivative of the original AIM status update environment.
And 6 years ago, we launched AIM Fight. Click here to play.
And now here is an AIM Fight rip-off for Twitter. Click here. See any resemblance?
Everything old is new again.
But I don’t want to hear about how cool and innovative this stuff is. As a grizzled old media vet said to me, ”Same crap - different bag.”
Dipsy-Doo
So Facebook wants to be like Twitter now;
And Twitter is the new AIM;
And AIM wanted to be the new Facebook;
And AOL wants to be like Google.
And Yahoo wants to talk to Microsoft.
Do I have all of that straight?
A Very Interesting Space
A peer-to-peer lending network is a great thing for consumers. I believe Revolution Money can play a big role in this space. We can wire money via AIM or Facebook as examples. We can transact the money exchange and charge small fees. We can tap into a checking account or a credit line. We can allow for monthly payments electronically.
As Karl Marx Said…
“The more sophisticated the machine, the more barbaric the worker.”
I had one of those ”Aha moments” last week. I was at an airport and went through security. I had an iPod with Bose headphones; a cell phone; a Treo to do AOL email; a Kindle to read; and a Sony laptop with wireless modem. I had five chargers with me. When I checked into my hotel room, I ended up using three different sockets to recharge my devices. My briefcase weighs a ton. My doctor believes this is how I got tennis elbow from carrying my bag with my left arm.
I now have to check my three offices for voicemail messages; my Caps account for email; my AOL account for email; my Facebook account for email; I get messages on AIM and on Facebook; and I get messages on my cell phone.
What have we done to ourselves?