Cookies help us display personalized product recommendations and ensure you have great shopping experience.

By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    sales and data analytics
    How Data Analytics Improves Lead Management and Sales Results
    9 Min Read
    data analytics and truck accident claims
    How Data Analytics Reduces Truck Accidents and Speeds Up Claims
    7 Min Read
    predictive analytics for interior designers
    Interior Designers Boost Profits with Predictive Analytics
    8 Min Read
    image fx (67)
    Improving LinkedIn Ad Strategies with Data Analytics
    9 Min Read
    big data and remote work
    Data Helps Speech-Language Pathologists Deliver Better Results
    6 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-25 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: On AOL and Small Data
Share
Notification
Font ResizerAa
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > Big Data > Data Quality > On AOL and Small Data
Data QualityData Warehousing

On AOL and Small Data

MIKE20
MIKE20
4 Min Read
SHARE

Author: Phil Simon

Contents
A Tale of Two Data ApproachesSimon SaysFeedback

You may laugh at this statistic

As of the end of September, AOL still had 3.5 million subscribers to its dialup Internet access service. A recent BusinessInsider article points out that:

More Read

Semantic Web – Pitch of the week
Understanding exponential growth as a fundamental driver of…
New Retail Technology Opens Eyes In NYCFuture Of Decorating:…
Business Intelligence & Data Warehousing – Too Much Hype: 11 for 2011
Book Review – BRFplus Business Rule Management for ABAP Applications

Author: Phil Simon

You may laugh at this statistic

As of the end of September, AOL still had 3.5 million subscribers to its dialup Internet access service. A recent BusinessInsider article points out that:

According to AOL’s earnings release, the “average paid tenure” of its subscribers was about 10.6 years in Q3, up from about 9.4 years last year. (Of course, some of AOL’s existing access subscribers might not even realize they’re still paying for it.)

But for those who don’t have access to broadband, don’t want it, or don’t need it, AOL is still better than no Internet access.

I read this article and, once I got past the fact that more than 3 million people still hear those annoying dial-up sounds, couldn’t help but wonder about the inherent data limits of using such a datedtechnology . Note that I am well aware that for years AOL has offered broadband services. Yet, the company’s dial-up customers represent the very definition of Small Data.

Now, 3.5 million people can generate an awful lot of data, but dial-up is not making a comeback anytime soon. It’s hard for me to envision a future in which 52k/s Internet connection speeds rule the world. (Can you imagine a 15-year old kid waiting two minutes for a page to load?) And AOL head Tim Armstrong agrees, as evinced by his hyperlocal news strategy. Armstrong believes that the future of the Internet is all about content. (Shhh…don’t tell anyone.)

A Tale of Two Data Approaches

When you’re connected to the Internet at a fraction of the speed of the rest of the world, you’re going to generate a fraction as much data as those flying around at 20mb/s. Pages take longer to render, transactions don’t process as quickly, and people become more frustrated and give up doing whatever they were going. And you’ll lose customers–and all of the data that goes with them. The best that you can hope for is (relatively) Small Data.

Contrast Small Data with Big Data. The latter is so, well, big that it cannot be handled with traditional data management tools. Hence the need for Scala and Hadoop. The latter is a project with the intent of developing open-source software for reliable, scalable, distributed computing. Now, big data can be a big challenge, but it’s kind of like having to pay “too much” in taxes because you make a great deal of money. Would you rather not have to pay any taxes because you are impoverished?

Simon Says

AOL’s problems are well beyond the scope of an individual post, but suffice it to say for now that any organization that embraces Small Data faces considerable limits on its growth, revenue, and ultimately profits. The larger point is that, if you’re a small company with a fairly conservative reach and ambition, than Small Data may well be the way to go.

However, if you’re a burgeoning enterprise that plans on growing in all sorts of unexpected directions, get away from the Small Data mind-set. Of course, this isn’t just about adopting Big Data tools like Hadoop. Rather, in all likelihood, the products, services, and overall business strategy should require more powerful tools than relational databases. If you’re thinking big, don’t let Small Data constrain you.

Feedback

What say you?

TAGGED:aol
Share This Article
Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn
Share

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

sales and data analytics
How Data Analytics Improves Lead Management and Sales Results
Analytics Big Data Exclusive
ai in marketing
How AI and Smart Platforms Improve Email Marketing
Artificial Intelligence Exclusive Marketing
AI Document Verification for Legal Firms: Importance & Top Tools
AI Document Verification for Legal Firms: Importance & Top Tools
Artificial Intelligence Exclusive
AI supply chain
AI Tools Are Strengthening Global Supply Chains
Artificial Intelligence Exclusive

Stay Connected

1.2kFollowersLike
33.7kFollowersFollow
222FollowersPin

You Might also Like

What carries you up will also bring you down

5 Min Read
Image
AnalyticsPredictive Analytics

Practitioner Interview with Brett Cohen of AOL

5 Min Read

Privacy regulations: fear, loathing and AOL

3 Min Read

SmartData Collective is one of the largest & trusted community covering technical content about Big Data, BI, Cloud, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT & more.

data-driven web design
5 Great Tips for Using Data Analytics for Website UX
Big Data
ai in ecommerce
Artificial Intelligence for eCommerce: A Closer Look
Artificial Intelligence

Quick Link

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-25 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?