After AOL CEO Tim Armstrong unveiled the newly punctuated AOL logo–big A, little o, little l, period–last night, he got on the horn with BoomTown to chitty-chat about the change in image and, more pertinently, how it’s going on the road show to sell investors on the soon-to-be independent company.

First off, Armstrong said he never considered dumping the AOL moniker, in an effort to rid the company of the 1990s feel of the brand, noting it had a “high level of affection.”

Of course, I have a lot of nostalgic affection for Beanie Babies and the kids from “Saved by the Bell,” but that doesn’t mean I want them back.

Read More »

AOL has hired a pair of New York investment bankers, Morgan Stanley and Allen & Co., to manage the sale of its ICQ instant-messaging unit.

Sources familiar with the situation said interest in buying the asset from two major non-U.S. companies prompted execs at the online service to put a process in place for a deal that will likely occur after AOL becomes an independent company in December.

AOL bought ICQ in 1998 for about $400 million–$287 million outright and $125 million in earnouts for the team.

Sources said AOL to looking to recoup $300 million.

Read More »

Okay, this one is so egregiously odd, BoomTown had to post it.

From the folks at Barely Political, whose original Obama Girl video became a pop phenom, here’s one with Independent Presidential candidate Ralph Nader.

It is done as a spoof on a cheesy sitcom, and it’s oddly sweet to see Nader cracking wise so very badly.

Read More »