AOL uses proxies to cache visited websites and then calls up the proxy to serve you the files faster. You don't have a direct connection to the web most of the time, the proxy has a connection and you're connected to it, as are thousands of other users. This causes endless grief to AOL users that want to use chat services, as the proxy often kicks in and kicks them off. so that can explain why a great deal of AOL people didn't get hit.