There's been a lot of talk in the last two days about a rumor that Microsoft may be in talks with Time Warner about purchasing a stake in American Online. Whether the rumors are true or not, the web is buzzing with speculation, admiration and consternation (see what I did there? I used a big word...look it up!) over the possibilities.

The Washington Post says: "While no transaction is imminent, a broad range of options is under review, said sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential. Those options include combining Microsoft's MSN online service with Dulles-based AOL, establishing a combined advertising sales force and enabling users of their separate instant messaging services to communicate with each other."

There are plenty of possibilities to consider and all of them stand to make a significant impact on both the search industry and the Internet service provider industries.

Learn more about it in today's article: "What's All This Talk About AOL and MSN?" by Jennifer Laycock