Reports: AOL cuts XDrive, Pictures, some blogs
AOL is scrapping some online destinations but will push others harder in an attempt to improve its finances, according to media reports.
Kevin Conroy
(Credit: AOL)
Among those to be shuttered are Bluestring, a site to share videos, music, and photos; Xdrive, a general-purpose online storage service; and AOL Pictures, where users could store and share photos, according to a July 14 memo from Kevin Conroy, AOL’s executive vice president of products and marketing published at TechCrunch.
“These consumer storage products haven’t gained sufficient traction in the marketplace or the monetization levels necessary to offset the high cost of their operation,” he said in the memo. Also to be closed is MyMobile which repackages various AOL services for use on mobile devices.
AOL also is paring back some of the blogs it hosts, according to PaidContent.org. The DIYLife blog is being shut down, according to that report, and bloggers there and at The Unofficial Apple Weblog and DownloadSquad, who are paid by the post, have been told to stop posting until July 31 to cut costs.
It’s not unusual for companies to cut products to improve finances, but AOL has a particular incentive: corporate owners Time Warner is trying to prepare the once-powerful subsidiary for sale or other strategic alternatives.
AOL will push several other products harder in an attempt to revenue growth, too. Those products include AOL’s browser toolbar, its desktop software, its e-mail service, and its Truveo video search site, according to the memo.
AOL didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Reports: AOL cuts XDrive, Pictures, some blogs
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