Microsoft Launches Blogging Site

Jeff Clark writes "In yet another attempt to take over all of the Internet, MSN has launched a blog service called MSN Spaces with the new version of MSN Messenger due out shortly. Features include comments, stats and trackbacks just like every other blog out there. Another built-in feature is also available where you can send pictures from your camera-phone directly to your Space. Now you can let Mom know just exactly what happened at that party last night!" Reader JDBaker adds, "Microsoft have released the first public beta of MSN Messenger 7. It can be downloaded direct from Microsoft, and carries the same build number as the recent private beta release. New features include: Winks, Set Status Before Login, Drag and Drop Backgrounds and Feedback."

Comments

And I have no doubt...

[Tuxedo Jack]

That MS will bundle this with the next version of Windows, thus going up against LiveJournal and taking a large percentage of the new bloggers with it.

Re:And I have no doubt...

[Paska]

While we are on the subject of messenger, and bundling it with their OS.

Does anyone want to tell me why Microsoft make both MSN Messenger, and Windows Messenger? And why Windows Messenger (The featureless version) was added into WinXP and now MSN Messenger?

An even better feature

[l1nuxpunk]

Another new feature of the MSN beta that the article fails to mention is it's un-godly amount of bloat.

Seriously, does anyone really need the Nudge function? To all those of you who don't use MSN (whom I hold the deepest respect for, btw), all Nudge does is shake your window and the recipients window in some weird kind of internet seizure.

Looks like I'm going to migrate back to IRC.

Re:An even better feature

[NSash]

I thought the grandparent was trying to move away from un-godly bloat.

private areas to the blog

[Anonymous Coward]

Is there a blog that allows u to have private areas (requiring login)? I mean to use it like a diary?

No. I'm not a fourteen year old girl, I'm an old Korean.

Re:private areas to the blog

[BrianGa]

Perhaps he is afraid of hard drive failure as well as fire/flood/pet's teeth. I would be tempted to use gmail...just continuously replying to the same thread and archiving.

Missing product for Google?

[Ford Prefect]

I was reading through the list of things Microsoft were adding, thinking that it's just another place Google are at already, then I realised that while there's Gmail, there's no Gmessenger or similar as far as I'm aware.

How long do you reckon before Google launches such a thing, potentially pushing MSN Messenger out the market? :-)

Re:Missing product for Google?

[Arbin]

*DISCLAIMER* I work for Google.

There is a 'gmessenger' application being worked on. It is not named, 'gmessenger', but rather, something marketable.

It's interface is typical Google. Clean and uncluttered. It's very similiar in functionality to some of the more popular jabber/gaim clients (in both appearance /and/ function *wink* )

It uses targeted advertising based upon current text typed as part of any conversation (There is a middle text box used for this purpose)

Agreed

[yup that's me]

This is what businesses do: they attempt to gain control of as many markets as possible, and it's becoming clear that blogging is a new market. Argue against the quality of the software, point out that Microsoft seems to be lacking in innovative new ideas, argue that people really shouldn't try to make money from the internet, claim that customers might get better products by having companies specialise in providing only a few really good services rather than having fingers in thousands of pies, but don't bitch against Microsoft for doing what profit-making companies try to do, which is be involved in whole markets as the best way to get rid of competition and therefore the best way to make money.

Moderation?

[MacGod]

I wonder if there will be moderation of blogs. If for example, I create a vehemently anti-Microsoft blog (possibly one that borders on slander), will the block/censor it? How does this work on other blogs?

I think the question is more valid for Microsoft's blog service because there are more anti-Microsoft people than anti-Google people (or whatever). And many of the anti-Microsoft people would find it cute or ironic to post an anti-Microsoft blog on Microsoft's own servers.

Browser wars

[Leeesher]

"Note: With the latest version of Internet Explorer you can take advantage of richer customization options." is the message it shows when I use firefox. Slick m$. Slick. Although.. in all honesty, when I read that, I did think.. "hm...maybe I SHOULD dust off good ol' IE and see how it looks.."

Missing New Feature

[ThatDamnMurphyGuy]

New features include: Winks, Set Status Before Login, Drag and Drop Backgrounds and Feedback.

The only new feature I want to see is for MSN Messenger to stop fargin using IE even though I set my default browser to Firefox!

Even if I setup a new computer for someone and hide IE, and insteall Firefox, the minute they hit that damn "x new messages" email popup in Messenger, they're using IE and the viri/spyware starts rolling in.

Re:yawn: another MS copycat product

[finkployd]

The difference is that these products are coming from people volunteering their free time to write them. They are scratching a specific itch, or filling a need by producing software that in some cases is better than commercial counterparts.

Microsoft is spending billions on R&D, hiring the best minds it can, so I would hope they are being held to a higher standard than some geeks who write software for themselves and their friends. Yet we see that even with this diference, Microsoft still just ends up copying everyone else and making (in many cases) poorer quality software than the open source geeks.

Finkployd

Re:blog = mirror for narcissist??

[finkployd]

Some of them are truly interesting and insightful. The rest are of no consequence, and their existence does not bother me.

Just like everything else on the internet.

Just like everything else in the real world.

Finkployd