AOL Opens Its Door to Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Hotmail

Posted by Vaibhav

September 11, 2008

Popular search engine AOL has enabled entry to other e-mail service providers, including Google’s Gmail in an effort to steer in more traffic through its network. This feature allows users access their respective e-mail accounts from Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Hotmail, along with AOL and AIM Mail.

As a special feature, the search firm also provides a mail preview panel which allows users check their AOL status as well as their Gmail and Yahoo accounts to view new messages as and when they appear. These messages can be directly accessed by just clicking on the message link. Composing a message is also easy as users can click a link to open a new window for the same.

Executive VP of programming at AOL, Bill Wilson said that the company is aware of users having multiple e-mail accounts on various services to keep tabs on daily, and that the company wishes to make it all easier for them. He also said that it is an important first step in opening up AOL and giving users the ability to populate the home page with content and services daily, regardless of where it lives.

The Decision to Open AOL:

The declaration is a precursor to further exciting plans over the coming couple of months to refurbish AOL’s main site in order to provide customization and additional options to the users. The internet firm prepares to debut novel features, for instance, that allows users to have more control over content and services shown on the Web site.

Moreover, AOL will enable consumers to include their own Web links in the main navigation bar as well as access custom feeds generated from local news, RSS-enabled sites and social-networking services directly from the site’s home page.

AOL also introduced an extended navigation bar, through which a broader variety of the firm’s content and services can be accessed directly. In the near future, AOL plans to add a ‘keyhole’ view of social networks that will let users manage their social-networking feeds from a particular location, ability to insert a link to any Web page to the main navigation bar directly, and a customizable RSS feed reader.

Wilson noted that a portal has to identify that consumers seek a variety of different connections and experiences with their different networks and information sources. This is what will make it (portal) relevant to consumers today. Therefore, he said that AOL is embracing this with the new AOL.com, thereby becoming the first truly open portal experience provided by one of the big traditional portals.

It is obvious that AOL wants to attract more users to AOL.com with its e-mail aggregation strategy. But will this strategy work in its favor? Principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence, Greg Sterling said that it remains to be seen whether this move by AOL causes consumers to deepen their relationship with the company. However, he added that it’s a welcome move as it demonstrates openness.

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