The subhead for MSNBC’s story about the problems AOL created when it tried to make all AOL-Time Warner employees use AOL’s e-mail system says it all,
CompanyÂ’s attempt to use own software brings headaches
And the problem is obvious — AOL’s system is designed for very light home use (well, I’d argue it useful than much more than an evening of shouting expletives at the software), not the sort of heavy intensive use most business people are going to require.
Time was apparently the worst hit by AOL’s attempt to force its employees to use its crappy software,
Time Inc., the U.S.Â’s largest magazine publisher and a heavy e-mail user, was the companyÂ’s worst-hit division. Late last year, ad sales executives in Entertainment WeeklyÂ’s Chicago office were trying to e-mail a presentation to a major advertising agency. Because the system has trouble handling large attachments, the e-mail didnÂ’t arrive. At the last minute the office had to send a staff member in a cab with a printed version.
Now that’s what I call just-in-time distribution system!