After existing for two decades, AOL shut down its instant messaging service, AIM, Friday. Since 1997, the program helped family and friends communicate in real-time without calling or emailing.
AOL originally announced plans in October, saying the service was no longer needed because it had been replaced in peoples’ daily lives by text messaging, Facebook chat, and other software.
Capitals majority owner and Monumental Sports and Entertainment chairman Ted Leonsis spent the formative years of his career at AOL and commented on the shutdown Thursday.
Somebody please send me an instant message, for old times sake. At 11:59 pm, let us all fire up AIM, blow their servers off and go out with a bang. From 14 million simultaneous users to zero, RIP.. https://t.co/TaBvX1KY9b
— Ted Leonsis (@TedLeonsis) December 14, 2017
According to Wikipedia, Leonsis’s AOL career began in 1994. He started as a senior executive, but eventually rose to be the company’s president and vice chairman.
In 1987, Leonsis established the marketing communications company, Redgate Communications Corporation. When the organization was acquired by America Online (AOL) in 1994, Leonsis began working with AOL as a senior executive, remaining with the company for 13 years. Under his leadership, AOL increased its membership from under 800,000 members to over 8 million, while their annual revenue increased from $100 million to $1.5 billion. He held numerous positions at AOL during his years there, completing his tenure and retiring in 2006 as the audience group’s president and vice-chairman. As of 2014, he serves as vice chairman emeritus of AOL.
On Friday, the NHL also had several of its players share some of their old AIM screen names – one of which was former Capital Nate Schmidt. And yes, of course, it was ridiculous.
Everyone had an embarrassing AIM screen name and NHL players are no exception. 😆 pic.twitter.com/tBHI4hcVvN
— NHL (@NHL) December 15, 2017
Schmidt, holding back laughter, revealed that his screen name was @MowYouDown17.
The others were as followed:
Cam Atkinson: @shortstuffcam
Max Domi: @maxncheese
Brady Skjei @Iceman16
Nick Foligno: @NFCenter16
Justin Abdelkader: @NITSUJ87
Jason Demers: @BigJ2006
Among the RMNB staff, Peter Hassett went by @oiph, Nathan Burchfiel could be messaged at @shakennotstirred1, and Rachel Cohen was @catgurl32691.
My screen name was @Hornacek14, an homage to former Utah Jazz shooting guard Jeff Hornacek. Growing up, the main sport I played was basketball and he was the best shooter in the NBA. In the NES game Tecmo Basketball, I would routinely have Hornacek score 100 points a game as the team I always played as, the Jazz, never lost. At a real-life Bullets game at USAir Arena, Hornacek was also the first autograph I ever received from an NBA player.
RIP, AIM. Thx 4 the memories.
All good things come to an end. On Dec 15, we'll bid farewell to AIM. Thank you to all our users! #AIMemories https://t.co/b6cjR2tSuU pic.twitter.com/V09Fl7EPMx
— AIM (@aim) October 6, 2017
