They became the iconic reflective symbol of the s and s: the AOL CDs and disks that cluttered our mailboxes and soon landed in the trash. Between and , estimates say that AOL sent out more than 1 billion CDs with free trial software. In the early '90s, marketers faced a problem: people didn't know what the internet could offer, so selling them on it was difficult. Commercials could run through the advantages, but for the most part, it was difficult to describe. There was a chicken-and-egg problem, too: without internet access, it was hard to download internet software.
This commercial from shows the burden AOL marketers experienced — they were forced to list off every benefit of the web while also having to explain it:. The disks contained a free trial for AOL usually pegged to a number of free hours online, since usage was paid for by the hour.
It didn't take long for AOL to double down on mailings and expand to new distribution channels. An early campaign gave away free trial CDs in Blockbuster video rental stores, and that showed Brandt that broader channels could be as effective as the mail.
From there, AOL was off to the races. Free AOL offers showed up nearly everywhere, including:. Later on, it offered a revenue share to computer companies that included AOL software. They were massively successful, in part because they were impossible to escape. So he started collecting them in a bin to recycle later. But he never got around to it, and when he moved, he found the bin, now piled high with the shiny discs, and had a revelation: They were beautiful.
Larkin, who now has well over 2, AOL discs in his possession, thought he was the only one collecting these things. Soon, he realized there was a small, but tenacious, community of AOL disc collectors.
And there was Bustam Halim, who according to Wired is nicknamed "the Leader. Of the bunch, Sloan Cline is arguably the most prolific collector. By her estimates, she has over 4, unique AOL discs stored in the basement of her home in Kansas. Every CD in her collection is different: There are discs in every color, ones in plastic cases or shrink-wrap packaging, ones promising various hours on the free trial. Versions one through three came on floppy disk, and some of the early ones came in metal tins—Sloan Cline has those kinds, too.
Halim, whose collection runs at least 3, discs, started collecting in "because they were free," and he liked the idea of a hobby that didn't require spending any money. Instead, he'd make frequent trips to the swap meet in Oakland, where there was a section devoted to "all kinds of computer-related junk. Each morning, Halim says he'd spend about an hour admiring his collection, organizing the discs by their serial numbers, and updating his website, cdcult.
Then he'd head into his job at a tech company, where all of his coworkers knew about his collecting obsession because he'd asked them to give him their AOL CDs.
For the most part, they did, since he was basically "asking for this junk mail. The number of people who collect AOL's free installation discs is small but growing. Containing software to connect to AOL's online service, the installation discs have been sent out in the millions through the mail or glued to the covers of magazines and cereal boxes.
Most people toss the free CDs in the trash. But for some, hunting down a rare limited-edition disc is a consuming passion. I've put so much time and money and energy into it, I can't get out now. The fun part of it is going out and finding new discs. Since , AOL has distributed millions of the discs all over the world. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online. If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use.
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