You’ve Got Mail – Is Facebook The NEW AOL?

Hard to believe that just 15 years ago AOL ruled the world of the internet huh? Nope, there was no rumors of this Google thingy and Yahoo was just a bunch of links. However AOL was the place where you went to market to users, on AOL internet marketing ruled.

You wanted to get your brand on the internet, then you simply HAD to have a www.AOL.com/MyWidget address back in the day. You wanted to tap into the gigantic user base of AOL registrants? You would create an app using their proprietary platform…sound familiar?

Want more similarity? OK…My Mom, who is now over 70 years old now, got her first taste of computing by using AOL. For her, AOL was the INTERNET. She would say. "I saw thus-and-so on the internet", not understanding that what she was in was the AOL universe. She would NEVER click a link that brought up the standard warning message "You are about to be taken off of AOL to an unknown link" that would stop her dead in her browsing tracks.

Fast forward to 2009 and I am seeing the same thing. My family and friends who are FAR from technophiles are now using Facebook and for them, that "IS" the internet. This is their walled protective environment, but this time around the prison has a few windows to see out by linking to good stuff.

But what I find, by looking at their profiles, is that for the most part, they stay pretty much in the walled red zone. Almost NONE of them have links to stories outside of the safe domain of Facebook. The are simply not net savvy and Facebook is about the only place they desire to explore.

So John, what are you saying? …. Nothing, just contemplating the similarity….for now (stay tuned).

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