Social Software
Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live
Messenger still commonly referred to by the previous name of MSN Messenger (MSN
for short), is an instant messaging client for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003,
Windows Vista, and Windows Mobile, first released on December 13, 2005 by
Microsoft. Windows Live Messenger is mainly available for Windows
platform. However, it does have products for Mac and Linux.
As the next
generation of MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger includes all the features
of MSN Messenger. Besides that, Windows Live Messenger adds some other
features.
Besides transfer files between the contacts while
chatting, Windows Live Messenger provides a Sharing Folder feature which is an
alternative to the "direct transfer" method of file distribution.
When a user wants to deliver a file to another person on his or her contact
list, he can use the sharing folder function. When files are added to the
"sharing folder" for a particular person, the file will automatically
be transferred to the corresponding computer when they are online. This means
that the folder is literally "shared" between two computers. If a
user deletes a file, for example, the file will also be deleted from the
corresponding computer's shared folder. To minimize risk of virus-infected
transfers, the "sharing folder" feature is bundled with an anti-virus
program. The "sharing folder" feature can only be used on computers
with NTFS-formatted hard disks.
In addition
to PC-to-PC calls that have been supported in previous versions, Windows Live
Messenger now supports PC-to-phone calls with Windows Live Call. This feature
is supported by Verizon, branded as "Verizon Web Calling". This
feature is only available in selected countries, including the
On October
13, 2005, Yahoo and Microsoft announced plans to introduce interoperability
between their two messengers, creating the second largest instant messenger
user base worldwide. The interoperability between Yahoo and Windows Live
Messenger was launched 12 July, 2006. This allows Yahoo and Windows Live
Messenger users to talk to each other without the need to create an account on
the other service, provided both contacts use the latest versions of the
clients. However, if a user uses an older or third-party client, they will
appear offline to the users on the other network.
There are various games and applications available in
Windows Live Messenger that can be accessed via the conversation window by
clicking the games icon and challenging your "buddy".
Unlike
previous versions, one can start conversations even when his or her status is
set to Appear Offline. However, if talking to someone who has an older MSN
Messenger client, they will lose the ability to talk to that user after a short
period of no activity, due to their client thinking that user is offline.
The i’m
initiative is a new program Microsoft launched in March 2007, that connects the
user with nine organizations dedicated to social causes through Windows Live
Messenger. Every time someone has a conversation using i’m, Microsoft Corp. shares
a portion of the program's advertising revenue with the organization of the
user's choice. There is no set cap on the amount donated to each organization.
The more i’m conversations the user has; the more money goes to one of the nine
causes. Each participating organization is guaranteed a minimum donation of
$100,000 during the first year of the program. There is currently no end date
for the program. However, the i’m initiative only works with the most recent Windows
Live Messenger.
In order to
manage the contact list, Windows Live Messenger allows user to edit nicknames
of individual contacts that can be customized to appear differently from what
the contact has set. User can set contacts with the name that easier to
identify them.
Posted at 01:31PM Jul 06, 2007 by Xuan Zhang in IM |
