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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent overview of the development of cyberspace
Review: AOL.COM is a book that does a phenomenal job tracing the growth of America's dominant online service. It's profile of AOL head Steve Case shows how critical the innovators and entrepreneurs are to the development of new technologies and moder day conveniences. The Internet wouldn't be what it is today if AOL and Steve Case didn't put in tens of millions of American homes. The world has been transformed in the last decade -- giving everyone access to all kinds of information they can use to improve their lives and widen their intellectual opportunities. We can thank innovators like Steve Case and AOL for doing that.
Rating: 
Summary: Something every AOLer should read!
Review: I have been on AOL for quite some time. Not because I am new to the Internet -- I have a vast knowledge on the Internet -- but because I enjoy the sense of community and integrated software that the online service provides. However, I have always been fascinated about what sort of marketing strategy AOL uses in order to remain so popular -- as well as learning about the not so positive areas of the online service.Swisher supplies us with a very informative book about downfalls and pitfalls of this service. She illustrates the problems the creators went through within their company with other employees. It shows us the various mistakes the software has had over the years. Of course, it focuses on the competition (Bill Gates and MSN comes to mind) and AOL's most powerful source: Steve Case. It also illustrates the more obvious issues, like AOL's intense sexually-natured chat rooms and criminal activity among the members. It also discusses AOL's recent merger with Time Warner. I urge AOLers to give this great book a whirl. I am glad I picked it up. Who knows, it may teach you a thing or two about becoming a software giant.
Rating:
Summary: A review from an AOL old timer.
Review: It's impossible to describe the feeling I received whilereading AOL.Com. Here was the company I put so much of my heart andsoul into exposed completely for the world to see. The author makes it possible for her readers to sit back and observe the creation of a phenomenon the world now calls AOL. It's as if the reader is really there. The authors ability to provide such vivid personalities of Steve Case and other executives amazed me. She unravels a tale which should leave readers spell bound regardless of their previous familiarity with AOL. By far my favorite reference in the book is where the author describes Marc Seriff as "a young programmer" and continues to describe him as "only 33 years old". While I'm sure Marc, enjoyed this reference also I was disappointed they didn't provide more background on my own mentor. A book called AOL.COM deserves at least a chapter on how Marc led and inspired the technology development at AOL. I would have also enjoyed reading more about the time I worked internally at Quantum/AOL. The 5+ years I spent in Virginia was condensed down to about 20 pages. It makes my contributions seem small when I look at the big picture. It's probably just as well since one of my best ideas at the time, the proprietary FDO(Form Definition Opcodes), is now considered a technical albatross. As a devoted AOL'er I really enjoyed reading so many of the inside details of executive level dealing with the likes of Microsoft, CompuServe and others. The reaction of investors over the years was particularly enjoyable to me. For many years I've debated with industry insiders who proclaimed AOL to be dead. I could never fully convince them of the basic principles behind AOL's continued success. After all, if everyone understood they'd be successful too. Finally, AOL.COM explains to it's readers how Steve's determination for member friendly mass appeal along with it's focus on community made for the ideal consumer service. I applaud the auth! or for her fairness, honesty and ability to get the full story from the folks she interviewed. I also applaud the board of directors at AOL who allowed Steve to have the control over his vision. And finally, I applaud Steve for not selling out early and believing so much in the form of communications many of us knew would have it's day. The best is yet to come.
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING THE AOL IS STILL HERE!
Review: Very fascinating and detailed look at the early and middle years of AOL (before the latest difficulties with TimeWarner merger). We see just how amazingly close we came to not having an AOL at all. Steve Case and his partners and co-horts came so close so many times to going belly up, yet the book also shows how others failed to capitalize on AOL's weaknesses and failed to understand its strengths. It's a good read for anyone, but if you're an AOL user, it'll give you a true insight into this important company. It's an easy, fast read, too, which you might not expect. The latest issue was updated once, through 1999. I'd love to see it updated again in a few months, to cover all the Time Warner stuff and many reorganizations that have gone on just lately.
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