AOL streamlining through product cuts

WASHINGTON, July 26 (UPI) -- AOL is trying to streamline its online businesses through a series of product cuts, an official said.

Kevin Conroy, an executive vice president for AOL's product team at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, said AOL is parting ways with multiple products in order to focus on what has been successful for the once dominant Internet company, The Washington Post said Saturday.

"We have been focused on doing things differently," Conroy said Friday. "The things that are necessary to transform a business don't come easily."

Among the AOL offerings being cut is Bluestring, a Web site that locates consumer media online and stores it in one central location.

Conroy wrote in an e-mail this month that while products like Bluestring were initially touted as major innovations for AOL, they have failed to gain "sufficient traction" in the marketplace, the Post reported.

"These consumer media storage products haven't gained sufficient traction in the marketplace or the monetization levels necessary to offset the high cost associated with their operation," the AOL official said.