AOL revamps AIM in hopes of stanching user exodus

SAN FRANCISCO – AOL is giving its AIM instant-messaging software program a new appear and new capabilities in hopes of stanching an ongoing exodus of users who have turned to texting and other online messaging services.
The new AIM software marks the service’s biggest revamp in numerous years and comes as AOL tries to revitalize its business. A Net pioneer back in the `90s, AOL has been struggling as its dial-up Internet service declines and its online content material and advertising company is not producing adequate income yet to make up for it.
AOL made a preview version offered Wednesday.
Among AIM’s new attributes is the ability to view Web-based pictures and videos inside a chat window. Previously users would just see a link they would have to click to open a new browser window containing the image or video.
AIM will also now sync all the messages you send and receive across various devices you use to access the service, helping to avoid missed messages.
And its iconic “Buddy List” has given way to a list of AIM buddies ordered by how lately you have chatted with them.
In an interview, Jason Shellen, AOL’s head of AIM items, stated a lot of folks assume of AIM as “instant pestering.”
Shellen, who joined AOL in 2010 when it bought the business behind on the web social software Brizzly, mentioned the new software is “much less instant, more message.”
The effort to revitalize AIM &mdash which was originally released in 1997 &mdash comes as instant-messaging visitors is falling precipitously. Buyers are flock to social-networking websites which includes Facebook and Twitter, use the built-in chat features on websites such as Facebook and Google Inc.’s Gmail and send an ever-growing number of text messages.
In a move to preserve individuals chatting more than its service, AIM has allowed users to chat with buddies on a number of other instant-messaging services, which includes Facebook’s and Google’s. This doesn’t appear to be helping significantly, though.
According to comScore Inc., usage of instant-messaging services in the U.S. fell 31 percent to 36.8 million guests in October, compared with a year ago.
The numbers are particularly bad for AIM, the third-largest instant-messaging service behind Yahoo Inc.’s Yahoo Messenger and Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Live Messenger. ComScore estimates that AIM had 4.9 million visitors last month, down 65 percent from a year ago. (The numbers do not consist of access from mobile devices and tablet computers).
“If we left AIM alone, it would keep tapering off as is,” Shellen stated. “I think the cause to do this as a company is simply because AOL desires to show the globe it is not the exact same old AOL.”
___
On the web:

http://preview.aim.com

texting