What Is AOL?
America Online (AOL), however, may not be your best option for connecting to the ‘Net. There are many misconceptions about AOL. Two of the most prominent are AOL is the Internet and AOL is only an Internet service provider (ISP). AOL is not the Internet. AOL has drawn criticism for blurring the distinction between its service and the Internet in some of its advertisements. In reality, AOL’s relationship to the ‘Net is much the same as your hometown’s relationship to Earth. It’s on the planet, it’s part of the planet, it’s connected to other cities on the planet, but it’s only a tiny piece of the whole. Likewise, AOL is just one computer system connected to the millions of other computer systems that make up the Internet. AOL is more than an ISP. AOL in an online service, which means it is more than just an ISP. ISPs refer to companies that give you access to the Internet, but do not, for the most part, provide content of their own like online services, such as AOL, do. To illustrate, i
