Real Time Collaboration and Web 2.0 tools, tips, and reviews

Mike Arrington thinks so, at least as far as AIM as a "MySpace" alternative goes. He asks the question, where were they two years ago when it could have made a difference?

I think I can answer that. AOL caters to an unsavvy computer user, someone for whom sending an email message is still a revolutionary thing. They've built their entire company on inserting themselves between the user and the World Wide Web. Like the Catholic priest, they are the corporate middlemen who have positioned themselves between the believer and his deity.

The point is, this positioning by AOL is not conducive to un-earthing the "next, big thing". At best, they'll always be two years too late. At worst, they'll become obsolete in 5 to 10.