In 1989 a small company named Quantum Computer Services, changed its name to America Online (eventually becoming, AOL). The name change would be the beginning of a meteoric rise as an Internet service provider. By the mid-1990's America Online would surpass Genie, Prodigy and CompuServe to become the number one Internet service provider in the world. At one time America Online is said to have had 30 million customers.

However, nothing that gets that big can sustain its dominance forever. It declined as other service providers began to utilize the same technology and advance on the things that America Online brought into the computer room. With all the changes that have been made in the last 16 years AOL still has distinct advantages over other ISPs.

Creating community

America Online was the first with Buddy and chat technology allowing people from across the world to have private space in order to share thoughts on topics ranging from political issues to personal hobbies. The success of the community provided by chat rooms soon led them to invest in instant messaging technology with separated them from many ISPs over a course of several years. Only when Yahoo and MSN messenger began to broadcast their instant message ability did AOL lose its hold on the community they created connecting strangers by topic and by room. AOL's current buddy list and AIM system is still one of the easiest for non-technical people to use quickly and has a number of amenities other chat sites do not. For being a part of an online community, nothing beats AOL.

Interchangeable accounts

When AOL began its service, the basic fee was $19.95. As time went by, it rose to a high of $25.95. Many people continued to be willing to pay the high price for AOL, in part because of its ability to have interchangeable accounts. For people who want a private e-mail address, a business e-mail address or have six people in their family AOL is a great value. It offers several accounts, all for one price. Not only do they offer multiple screen names, they also give you the ability within their software to change from one account to the other and see if there is mail in one account from the other. This easy-to-use interchangeable system allows people to have privacy and flexibility when it comes to e-mail addresses. AOL has since reduced its fee back to $9.95 to keep up with the current Internet market but you still get seven e-mail accounts for that low price.

Specialty services

AOL was a pioneer in parenting controls and helping monitor which web sites AOL can access. That specialty program has combined with others to create a unique community for every member of AOL. AOL has web sites that cater to gay and lesbian clientele, African-American clientele and in Spanish. They have AOL Red for kids, and specially design web pages by culture, topic and type. The specialty services allow people to create an individualized Web browser to meet their needs.

AOL is a company that will both rise and fall as the Internet service provider market changes. For value, individuality and flexibility it is still one of the best deals on the market.