Setting up Spaces is refreshingly simple -- if you have a Microsoft .Net Passport account, that is. If you don't have an account, you'll have to sign up with Microsoft first. The .Net Passport allows you to use your e-mail address and a single password to log in to any Passport-participating Web service or site.
Unlike its competition, the MSN Spaces setup screen is confined to one page. Here, you'll type in the title of your blog (for example, My Six Months in Spain), your blog's Web address name (for example, http://msn.spaces.com/members/mysixmonthsinspain -- where you provide only the last part), and your local time zone. Next, you click a box to accept Microsoft's user agreement. Once your Space is set up, you'll need to decide whether you want your blog to be public or private, accessible only to your MSN Messenger contacts.
Within seconds of setting up our account, Microsoft e-mailed us a confirmation. The interface for MSN Spaces has a pleasantly clean look -- no clutter. But it's not so simplistic as to hide its many menu options. Not only do you know where you are at all times within your Spaces management area, Microsoft liberally sprinkles in helpful text to guide you throughout the blogging process.
Having a personal blog is all about having an online identity, and one of the only disappointments is that Microsoft does not offer a richer choice of MSN Spaces layout designs. Blogger.com offers dozens and dozens of customer-provided blogging designs, which makes Blooger.com's service very rich and varied. In contrast, Microsoft Office clip art supplies the familiar yet boring choice of designs available within MSN Spaces.
MSN Spaces is on a par with its competition (there's no perfect blogging tool, and all have pluses and minuses). One very useful feature on MSN Spaces that we have not seen on other blogging tools is an easy and integrated way to view traffic statistics (the number of visitors/page viewers) and referrers (who is directing traffic to you) to your MSN Spaces.
MSN Spaces gives you an easy way to create lists of music and share photos and blogs via Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds. However, one glaring disappointment in this version of MSN Spaces is the lack of a WYSIWYG editor, such as the one in TypePad. With Spaces, you can use bold, italics and other formatting only if you know the right HTML formatting codes. For advanced users this will be fine, but it won't be for many new bloggers wanting to spice up their text.
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mycrosoftsucks
19/05/2008, 10:37 PM
rating
1/10
Read the rules. Microsoft will own the copyright on everything you create on your space. They can edit, alter, and delete anything at will and can profit from its use in any way available to them. If you feel the information you put out is of no value this won't matter to you, but what if you write something or post of picture you took or whatever that everyone thinks is great and microsoft uses it to make millions or billions and you get nothing? Just like google, myspace and all the other big companies out there, they profile every member. Their computers create entire profiles based on everything you search for, everything you write, every opinion you post, the music and pictures you download and share, etc. There is big money in profiling. Do you really think these companies are paying their employees and shareholders just so they can give you free stuff? Nothing is free. Oh and if you say anything about Microsoft or any of their products that is less than appealing they will delete your account.
Pros: free to install
Cons: give up your rights to everything you create. say anything less than great about microsoft and they will delete you
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Kautolo
22/02/2008, 02:52 PM
rating
8/10
The only Blog I could upload my Pics quickly to.....
Pros: Simple to understand and use.
Cons: Cant see how people spot my Blog?
Also when I update it. It doesn't get put into the Updated Blogs section. Why?
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krystal
05/10/2005, 12:52 PM
Its's great for the younger generations
personally, i think that msn spaces are a great way to show your friends pictures- large amounts at that- saving you having to email it to them...or in...any other formatts. its also a great place to express yourself, and tell your friends about u....etc etc
well..
i like it anyways.
: P
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06/09/2005, 01:20 PM
Great Stuff
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benno
16/06/2005, 07:04 AM
Bad browser support
It's a nice idea, and cool it's easy to open via Messenger, but It doesn't have the right Firefox support. Everytime I want to upload an image, I have to open IE! And Messenger automatically opens IE. They should just put more attention to non-IE users.
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