If there's one thing that most of us technology gurus agree on, it's that America On-line is a great service that is truly helping change the way the public interacts and communicates via the Web - but...AOL, in my opinion, is not sufficient for business use.

Does this mean that business users should swear off using AOL? No. What this means is that you need an Internet Access Provider (ISP) if you really want to use the Internet and e-mail for business purposes.

However, there's no reason you cannot keep AOL for all of the other benefits it offers. In fact, there are some great benefits to be had by having both an ISP and AOL.

If you have ISP access to the Internet you can actually access AOL through your ISP! This will greatly speed up your interface to AOL and allows you to cut your AOL fees by more than half, too!

To achieve these benefits, simply click the "Set-Up" button in the AOL opening screen (before logging on) and you will find the option of accessing AOL via ISP - also referred to as TCP/IP.

Once you've selected the option to access AOL via the Internet (your ISP) you simply log on to the Internet BEFORE signing on to AOL. Rather than using it's own dialer, AOL will simply use the connection you've already established. To say that this is a much faster way of signing on, and using AOL, is an understatement of great proportions!

The next step to take is to change your account preferences so that you can pay less for your AOL service! Just go to "member services," then "accounts & billing" and select the BYOA (Bring Your Own Access) and you will slice your monthly bill from the $21.95 that most users are paying to just $9.95 a month!

Now you've done it! Faster access, more flexibility and cost savings of $12.00 a month too! Of course, if your ISP is charging you more than the $12.00 each month, then your net cost may increase slightly. But, trust me, for business quality access to the Web and e-mail, it's well worth it.

In fact, many non-business users now access AOL this way simply for the effect of "turbo charging" their AOL access, without even considering all of the other benefits.

Remember, most of you already have an ISP in addition to AOL. Use the ISP to access AOL faster while cutting your AOL fees by over half. Any ISP will do - the question is just what ISP you already have or would like to use - based on cost and availability of local access numbers.

Personally, I use IBM for $19.95 and MCI for $14.95 and think they're both a pretty good deal (MCI is slower, but obviously cheaper), and can recommend both. But, many agents are going with local ISP's - for personalized service and price.

Stephen M. Canale - CRB, CRS, GRI, RAM is a real estate technology trainer. Contact him at 734.481.9000, or e-mail him at Stephen@Canale.com or visit his Web site at http://www.canale.com.

Published: September 8, 1998

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Editor's Note: This article reflects the opinions of Stephen Canale only and not necessarily the views of this or any other publication, organization or Website owner.