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AOL.com Paperback – June 29, 1999

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Kara Swisher (Author)
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Kara Swisher (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 46 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Three Rivers Press (September 15, 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0812931912
  • ISBN-13: 978-0812931914
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,045,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsPart one of the history of America Online (AOL.com)
By Gerard Kroese on April 1, 2002
Format: Paperback
Kara Swisher has covered AOL and the Internet for the business section of The Washington Post since 1994. Now reporting on Silicon Valley for The Wall Street Journal, she lives in San Francisco. This updated version, published in 1999, included an new epilogue by the author.
The book starts with the now legendary meeting between the world-richest man Bill Gates (founder and chairman of Microsoft) and Steve Case (now chairman of AOL) in May 1993. In this meeting, Gates makes the following proposal to Case: "I can buy 20 percent of you or I can buy all of you, or I can go into this business myself and bury you." In hindsight, we now know that Gates did not buy America Online and did not bury them either. With this conversation in the background Swisher discusses the roots, the lack of business plan, the strategy changes (through which AOl got the nickname cockroach: "... a bug you couldn't kill no matter how hard you tried."), the people involved, the battles with Microsoft, Prodigy and CompuServe, the financial problems, the legal problems, the acquisitions of Netscape and various other companies, and Steve Case's vision (the three C's - "communication, community, clarity"). Most of the information comes from inside the company itself, where Swisher has interviewed the numerous people involved, but as a Washington Post-journalist there is plenty of external information.
Although this excellent book is about one of the best-known brands in cyberspace, it is perfectly readable for non-Internet geeks (like me). Yes, yes, I know, there are plenty of names and Internet terms around, but that doesn't even make this a bad and difficult read. I see this book as the first part in the history of America Online (AOL), from pre-startup through to late-1998. But plenty has happened since 1998 and I do expect the author to write another book on those events?!?
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5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent journey through the creation of AOL
By A Customer on April 25, 2000
Format: Paperback
AOL.COM is a fascinating and well written documentation on the birth and growth of the giant company we know today. Kara Swisher did a wonderful job of presenting the history of AOL. I found particular interest in the integration of quotes from many different sources including investors, employees, and competitors of AOL.
I am impressed with AOL as a company. Although Steve Case made most of the important decisions, everyone was important to the success of the company. What a great strategy by Jan Brandt on blanketing the country with AOL diskettes, and the idea to make the software user friendly and easy to use was right on. Both of these features lured me to join the AOL customer family.
AOL as a company, along with the aid of this book, is a great encouragement to those who dream for the stars.
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5.0 out of 5 starsStill relevant today
By Adam Spector on September 14, 2014
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Still relevant today even though aol is old news on the startup/entrepreneur front. Tenacious guts and a story about survival - important for any business, at any time.

Just wish there was a kindle version.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe history of an online cornerstone is worth reading.
By jer@onlymedia.com on October 7, 1998
Format: Hardcover
This is a good book, detailing Steve Case's journey in building AOL. Roughly the first half of the book covers birth through the early 90s, and the remainder is devoted to extensive discussion of AOL's many changes in response to the growth of the Internet.
Often described as a cockroach in cyberspace (in more ways than one), America Online has repeatedly defied critics by sustaining its growth and success through repeated hard times. In going from a distant third (behind Compuserve and Prodigy) to becoming the undisputed top proprietary service, the story of AOL takes the reader through a variety of issues which are still very relevant to the Internet in general (e.g. AOL has been dealing with online pornography, first amendment issues, spam, etc. for years).
This book is well-researched, well-written, and very interesting. Whatever your own opinions of AOL, if you are at all interested in the past and future of the online world, you owe it to yourself to learn about AOL and why it is so hugely successful.
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5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent background on a company everyone thought would die
By A Customer on April 7, 1999
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
This book does an excellent job of telling the story of AOL's rise to the top while being knocked by absolutely everyone. It is a very compelling read - I could not put this book down. If you want to read about how the underdog won in the end - get this book.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA review from an AOL old timer.
By Bill Pytlovany (BillP@aol.com) on June 19, 1998
Format: Hardcover
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.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 starsNever again...

I have tried the AOL's cd that gives free connection for 3 months, and when I wanted to cancel the subscription (because I changed my home address) it was impossible to stop the... Read more

Published on August 15, 2006 by Patrick Smith
5.0 out of 5 starsWho Would Have Thought

This is a good book. Well written with lots of information that you would have never known went on behind the scenes of aol. A real page turner.

Published on December 9, 2005 by Dottie Randazzo
4.0 out of 5 starsAMAZING THE AOL IS STILL HERE!

Very fascinating and detailed look at the early and middle years of AOL (before the latest difficulties with TimeWarner merger). Read more

Published on April 21, 2002 by RMurray847
5.0 out of 5 starsTo dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free

Karen Swisher weaves a compelling tale of America Online, a company saga that is remarkable in the annals of American business history. Read more

Published on March 13, 2002 by Eugene A Jewett
4.0 out of 5 starsA history of AOL and Steve Case Pre-time warner

AOL.com is worth the read if you are interested in finding out how Steve case was able to transform AOL from an underdog in the online industry to the media titan that it is today. Read more

Published on December 6, 2001 by A. Valentine
5.0 out of 5 starsSomething every AOLer should read!

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... Read more

Published on July 14, 2001 by CoffeeGurl
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat insight on how the worlds largest online service began

This is an excellent book giving the history of AOL, from its time as only a figment of someones imagination, to the largest online service in the world, AOL.com chronicals it all. Read more

Published on June 23, 2001 by A. Calvo
4.0 out of 5 starsMust have for us online users.

If you've ever received a CD of AOL in your mail, on the doorstep or in a magazine, you'd better read this book to find out why! Read more

Published on June 12, 2001 by Theresa Gaffney
4.0 out of 5 starsVery good history from the top level

This well-researched book will give you a great basic understanding of how this company that has become a household name was formed. Read more

Published on May 28, 2001 by John Nicholas
5.0 out of 5 starsInteresting history

Speaking as one of the 'digerati' that doesn't understand the appeal of AOL, I decided that I needed to read this book to understand AOL, or at least try. Read more

Published on October 23, 2000 by Chris Bickford

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