LOL. Great post. I remember quite well when the hordes from AOL were unleashed upon thhe internet. It immediately degraded the entire network. Newsgroups, which were bad enough as it was became almost unusable.
One of the things that I think is funny, is that so many people who keep AOL do so mainly because they don't want to change their email address. I've tried to point out some superior services for that, like the email forwarding service I use, to varying levels of success. I've had the same email address for over 10 years now, and can't even recall how many different email providers and ISPs I've had.
You tried, I know you did, I have tried too, but trying to discuss anything with an AOL used is like wading through molasses. It is not that they are stupid, it is just that they are too lazy to think. That makes them both ideal consumers and poor citizens.