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"In the '80s, if you had a 2400 baud modem you were pretty hot stuff, " says Schober.
CNN: The good ol' days of AOL chat rooms
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The late '90s, according to Schober, was when chat rooms hit their peak.
CNN: The good ol' days of AOL chat rooms
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The beta test was dubbed "Samuel" and for Schober, a teenage fan of BBSes (bulletin board systems), it was an intriguing opportunity.
CNN: The good ol' days of AOL chat rooms
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Schober moved from beta tester to full-time employee in 1992, when the service -- now officially called America Online -- went public.
CNN: The good ol' days of AOL chat rooms
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"I don't think people have necessarily stopped using them -- there are just different ways of expressing the same concept now, " says Schober.
CNN: The good ol' days of AOL chat rooms
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"I know for myself, personally, I found it fascinating, " says Schober.
CNN: The good ol' days of AOL chat rooms
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Schober remembers a ticker dubbed "Network News, " a kind of virtual community newsletter that would let people know when certain chat rooms had a special guest or were discussing certain topics.
CNN: The good ol' days of AOL chat rooms
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Schober doesn't think so.
CNN: The good ol' days of AOL chat rooms