I remind my clients incessantly not to leave people behind.
That while it is important to keep up with the bleeding edge of technology and innovation, it is also essential not to forget that the world is not made up of nerdy, geeky, yuppies who consider DSL and cable models as natural as gas, electric, and water. Do you still offer a text-based version of the website? Do you offer a lo-fidelity version for the consumers who have yet — or cannot — reach 20 Mbps.
According to Gizmodo, “AOL not only has 3.5 million dialup users, but added 200,000 since last year:”
It can be because there are still large swaths of our country without broadband—mostly rural areas—and these people don’t have any choice. That’s why we lag behind much of the developed world when it comes to broadband penetration. The other reason, as Dan Frommer points out, is that many AOL subscribers probably don’t realize they’re still paying for the service. This must be a slightly (very slightly) reassuring scrap of foundation for AOL to rest its bloodied knees on: secluded farmland and ignorance. So, shhh! Don’t tell anyone! [SplatF]
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