When you’re giving up your own creation and redirecting users to that of your competitor’s, it’s an admission of defeat, I would think. Apparently, that’s exactly what MS has done with its own blog network.
MS is giving up Live Spaces and, in a new partnership, will start sending new Windows Live users to a competing platform instead.
The software giant said people who sign up for a Windows Live account, necessary to use the free Hotmail e-mail system, the Xbox Live site and other services, can get a free blog from WordPress.com.
Also, users will no longer be given a “space” on Windows Live Spaces, Microsoft’s own blogging system.
Those who are already signed up to Windows Live Spaces blog will still be able to use it until the end of the year, and if they want to upgrade to WordPress.com after, they’ll have until March 2011 to do so.
Nothing will be lost, according to MS, as the giant says it’ll make sure existing text, photos, videos, comments and links transfer over to the new blog.
Microsoft said in a blogpost that giving its customers access to WordPress.com was a better move than continuing to invest in its own service.
The giant claims 30 million people logged in to Windows Live Spaces last month. In the U.S., however, the service was visited by about 2.3 million people in the same period, according to research group comScore Inc.
Google Inc.’s Blogger drew 56.9 million people, WordPress.com attracted 26.1 million people and sites from Six Apart, which operates the Typepad and Moveable Type blog platforms, attracted 19.3 million unique visitors.
amazing how fast Google has shot to the top of the corporate tree!
a family friend of ours who moved to the US a few years ago sold all his shares before he moved across.
he would be kicking himself now!
Wow, he should have waited.