"Have you been inconvenienced by American Online's problems?"
(asked at the Bellevue Regional Library on 01-31-97; published in the EJ on 02-02-97)

Camron McDonald, High school senior, Bellevue


"Not at all. I don't have it. I have one friend who has it but she doesn't use it that often. I'd rather have the Internet than AOL anyway."

Chris Sargent, Library page, Bellevue


"Somewhat. I have a son in college in Iowa and that's our main way of getting in touch with him and it's been difficult to get on to send and receive e-mail... I think the lawsuits are kind of extreme. I understand the inconvenience, but AOL just grew too fast and now they're catching up."

Bob Buchanan, Insurance broker, Mercer Island


"No. I don't have an account. I don't think I know anyone who does. I know what it's all about, but I think there are other options besides AOL. I think AOL just misjudged how much demand there would be on their services and then demand just ballooned. Sometimes, that happens. It's impossible to plan."

Brian Esch, Chiropractor, Bellevue


"No, because I'm not linked up to the Internet. It's something that I don't want to be a part of yet. I have enough on my plate. And I like to spend my free time motorcycling, walking, being outdoors... Some of my patients have complained to me about AOL's problems. They're bummed out because they can't log on and get the information they want."

Linda Richard, Administrative assistant, Bellevue


"No, not at all. I'm not a member of AOL -- I go through the Microsoft Network for my Internet connection. I like the Internet because of all the information and for research. There's just so much out there. It's fascinating. For example, Amazon.com is great!"

Kevin Zobrist, College freshman, Redmond


"No. I am a student at the UW and that's where I get my on-ramp to the Internet. Personally, I think the problem is using the phone lines with the Internet. It's about 60 times faster with Ethernet. If you have to dial-in, there are only so many connections you can make. The real bottleneck is the phone lines and their capacity."

© 1997 by the Bellevue, WA-based Eastside Journal (née Journal American) newspaper.

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