Written By Reprise Media | August 2, 2006 | Share This |

windows live spaces.jpg

Last night, Microsoft announced the debut of Windows Live Spaces. Which is really a new edition of popular blogging platform MSN Spaces (all existing Spaces have been given new Windows Live addresses) with new features that give it social networking functionality. You could even call it My(crosoft)Space, or WindowsLivejournal.

You may also liken it to AOL’s AIM Pages, another ‘instant’ social networking site. It was built on the back of AOL Instant Messenger, a pre-existing service with a solid following. Unlike with AIM Pages, however, where we’ve detected little significant adoption, many Windows Live Spaces users will come straight over from MSN Spaces, continuing to use their blogs (even if they don’t take to the social features).

For those users that are interested in the new features, here’s what they can expect:

A Friends Module, which allows Spaces users to add (what else?) friends by inviting each individually, or by exploring their contacts (and their contacts’ contacts) in Windows Live Messenger.
Optional Gadgets (Mac users will know them as ‘Widgets,’) that can be embedded in a Space, each with its own function, like: Weather Forecasts, Windows Live Mail, or Poker.
Security features; says BetaNews, users under 18 can’t be contacted by other users unless they’re already Messenger contacts. Additionally, all users can decide who’s allowed to contact them through Spaces, and that information will appear in a user’s profile.

As Michael Arrington points out, Spaces (whether it’s branded MSN or Windows Live) isn’t as hip as MySpace - although MySpace’s actual coolness is the subject of regular dispute in the press, as seventeen year-olds are regularly quoted trying to prove how ‘over’ MySpace they are. Still, says Arrington, Spaces has a large overseas following, and should be interesting to watch over the next couple of months.

Topics: Microsoft, Social Media |